The Editor of US publication Metropolitan Counsel? interviews John Lipsey, Vice President, Corporate Counsel Services at LexisNexis Martindale-Hubbell.
The interview gives an insight into MH's plans for social networking for lawyers ..
Here's their introduction
Editor: Would you tell us about your current responsibilities at LexisNexis?
Lipsey: I am Vice President of Corporate Counsel Services at LexisNexis Martindale-Hubbell and I am a member of the management team leading the transformation of the Martindale business as we migrate from a directory business to a global legal online community. I'm on the team that manages our corporate counsel strategy, making sure that the needs of the corporate counsel community are incorporated into the Martindale-Hubbell products strategy.
Editor: For those readers who might still be unfamiliar with social networking, can you give us an overview and tell us why so many people of all ages have embraced this new platform for communicating?
Lipsey: Social networking is really just an extension of human interaction that has always existed: the need people have to meet each other, to exchange ideas and to collaborate. Web technology has now developed sufficiently to translate those human tendencies towards meeting, forming relationships and interacting via the Web. This is often referred to as Web 2.0, as in the second generation of Web technology. The first generation of the Web was really all about hosting information so that people could consume information put there by the host. It is a "one-to-many" type of interaction, whereas Web 2.0, or social networking, is "many-to-many" in that it allows individuals to find each other and to create their own content through that interaction. That is the power of social networking: people with similar business or social affinities can find each other, develop relationships and interact in meaningful ways. We're applying these same fundamentals to the legal community through Martindale-Hubbell Connected, a network specifically designed to enable legal professionals to find each other, develop relationships and engage with each other in a secure and trusted environment.
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They can't help but insert propaganda though . i'm not sure the following views are held by all Connected members
Editor: The survey also asked lawyers to review a list of brand names and identify those they felt were best suited to deliver an online, global legal community. What did you learn from the response?
Lipsey: We were pleased with the response. The almost 1,500 respondents to the Networks for Counsel Survey included both corporate counsel and private practice lawyers. They cited Martindale-Hubbell more than any other provider as best equipped to deliver on the value proposition of the private professional network for lawyers. That tells us that Martindale-Hubbell and LexisNexis have a lot of credibility in terms of understanding the needs of the legal profession. We can offer vast resources of content and technical expertise to deliver applications that are suited for lawyers. When you are engaging in an activity that can carry a lot of potential risk - such as social networking - you need a service you can trust. I think the survey reveals that we are a trusted brand not only to deliver this technology, which we have specifically tailored to the needs of lawyers, but also to protect the privacy of our users.
Full article at?? http://www.metrocorpcounsel.com/current.php?artType=view&artMonth=October&artYear=2009&EntryNo=10195
