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Large law blog growth continues in 2007

February 7, 2008

The number of AmLaw 200 law firm blogs crossed the century mark to 106 during 2007. That’s an increase of nearly 50% in the last year.

LexBlog will have more complete data out in the near future. However, I felt compelled to respond to the cold water LexisNexis threw on blogs with its informal blog survey among attorneys and other legal professionals at LegalTech NY.

Finding only 10% of LegalTech attendees with their own individual blog and only 17% of the respondents’ firms with a blog, Sami Hero, LexisNexis VP Open Web, said the results along with an earlier ABA study demonstrate a hesitation to “jump in.”

17% of law firms with blogs is a pretty significant number. 2 years ago that number was probably 3 or 4%. We’ve seen a 300% growth in large law firm blogs since 2005. Hero would have to concede that’s big time growth in the number of law firms blogging.

Could LexisNexis down playing blogs have something to do with the fact that the company is way behind the curve as to blogs? That LexisNexis Martindale-Hubbell’s blog product at their lawyers.com is a failure? Could it have to something to do with LexisNexis’ impending launch of some sort of social networking solution at Martindale-Hubbell? After down playing blogs, Hero says the good news is that ‘six out of ten respondents belong to a professional or social network and nearly 70% are considering adding online video to their firm’s marketing mix.’

What do you bet LexisNexis will be or already is peddling online video at prices greatly exceeding blogs? And that a social networking feature at LexisNexis Martindale.com will be hawked as a reason for large law firms to keep paying Martindale-Hubbell hundreds of thousands of dollars a year?

Everyone’s entitled to make a buck, but let’s be straight with folks guys.

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