LexisNexis Martindale-Hubbell is really reaching

They’re not calling them super lawyers yet, but LexisNexis Martindale-Hubbell is now sending out press releases announcing lawyers have been rated. Here’s an excerpt from today’s LexisNexis Martindale-Hubbell release.

LexisNexis(R) Martindale-Hubbell(R) Announces 64 Lawyers Receive Peer Review Ratings: “LexisNexis Martindale-Hubbell today announced that 64 lawyers located throughout the United States and Canada have received Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review Ratings in recognition of their highly regarded legal skills and professional ethics.

I have no idea if the 64, each listed by name, firm, city and state are newly anointed (not rated before) or got the bump to an AV rating.

I remember when Martindale-Hubbell was a legacy product. Lawyers opened the books to check out each others rating, to check out the rating of a lawyer on the other side of a case, or to check for an AV rated lawyer to refer a case to in another state. Martindale even made the point of saying the ratings were just for lawyers to look at. Lawyers were told by Martindale they could not use the ratings as part of marketing themselves.

Now I guess the game is to send the press release to the local newspaper and business journal where the anointed lawyers are located and to see if anything sticks. Maybe even get the firm to pitch the press release to their local publication. God knows there’s eight paragraphs of copy talking all about LexisNexis Martindale.

If and when a ‘rating’s anointment’ makes a local paper, a whole lot of lawyers are going to snicker knowing that they received their rating by doing nothing more than practicing law and keeping their noise fairly clean. So the goal must to pull a ‘these lawyers are really good – better than those who you have not been announced as peer rated in a press release.’ Geez.

I guess it’s anything to make a buck these days. Or to make as many bucks as possible before the gig is over. Wonder if we’ll see them selling plaques with your name on a press release next?