Attorney Social Networking Sites Compared: Foxwordy vs LegalOnRamp vs LinkedIn
Originally Published by The Capterra Legal Software Blog
Who doesn’t remember the infamous battle between attorney and tech columnist Bob Ambrogi and Foxwordy CEO Monica Zent from earlier this year? Okay, if your memory is fuzzy, Ambrogi took issue with Zent’s claim that Foxwordy is the “first private social network for lawyers.”
Ambrogi first put Foxwordy on blast when the site launched in February 2014, writing that the claim “is not true by a long shot. And Foxwordy knows it is not true.”
Private social networks for lawyers that predate Foxwordy include:
- ALM’s Counsel Connect (founded over 20 years ago)
- Legal OnRamp
- LawLink
- The ABA’s Legally Minded
- Martindale-Hubbell’s “Connected”
Then things really heated up in September when Ambrogi was informed that he had been kicked off Foxwordy.
So that’s a shaky start for Foxwordy. But while we’re on the topic, let’s compare attorney social networking sites.
After all, we like comparing things over here.
Foxwordy
While Foxwordy certainly isn’t the “first private social network for lawyers,” it does offer something the others don’t: anonymity. This can encourage conversations that wouldn’t happen otherwise. However, it also can cause lawyers to work againsttheir clients’ interests by inadvertently giving valuable information to an adversary.
CEO and founder Monica Zent told Legal Tech News in January 2015 that Foxwordy now has approximately 15,000 licensed lawyers. Applicants must demonstrate they’re an active, licensed lawyer to join Foxwordy. The ability to post anonymously sets Foxwordy apart from competitors.
Users have access to a Q and A-style message board, an automated way to request and offer referrals, and integration with Box and Dropbox to easily save content. Zent said Foxwordy has participants from firms of all sizes, in and out of the US.
Legal OnRamp
According to David Parnell, writing in Forbes, “If there were a Google Maps for the legal market, it would look like Legal OnRamp.” An online collaboration tool for law firms and legal departments, Legal OnRamp’s fans include Allen & Overy, the General Counsel Roundtable, and Riverview Law.
The Maps analogy comes from the founders’ dream to make law easier to navigate. Legal OnRamp was created by Mark Chandler, General Counsel of Cisco Systems, and the brand’s current CEO, attorney Paul Lippe. It’s invitation only, but third-party legal service providers can join if accepted.
Legal OnRamp offers typical social media platform features such as message boards and forums, blogs, closed groups, and an events calendar. But document sharing ispart of how the social network enables collaboration and is attempting to allow law firms to help other legal departments “map” their processes, such as contract drawing.
Legal OnRamp is no flash in the pan. Launched six years ago, it’s now working withthe IBM Watson project and major banks to figure out how Watson can help banks analyze tens of thousands of derivative contracts in order to respond to the “too complex to manage” challenge.
A leading New York law firm is also currently working with OnRamp to “Watson-ify” some of its large M&A client engagements.
RIP
LawLink was the OG of attorney social networking sites. Barry Darmody and previous business partner Derek Conniffe founded the LawLink information service as a joint venture with the Law Society in 1996. However, like many an OG, it’s not around anymore.
Martindale Connected is also, sadly, no longer. While it technically exists, it’s not active. The latest posts on the help forum are from 2011. There’s no activity on Twitter or Facebook about Martindale Connected.
In 2010 Connected had nearly 30,000 members, making it one of the world’s largest professional networking communities created exclusively for the legal profession.
But in short, the company could not keep up with the internet, and now is a shell of its former self. It “couldn’t compete with LinkedIn, blogs, and other social media sites, which offered a powerful and lower-cost alternative.”
When I asked Web and Marketing Consultant Larry Bodine on Twitter what lawyers use to talk to each other his response was one word: LinkedIn.
So I asked what groups he recommended. He responded with Mass Tort Nexus, The National Trial Lawyers, and Legal Marketing.
I enjoy Lawyers Network, Legal IT Network, Personal Injury Attorney Network,Attorney Cooperation & Referral, and Lawyer Referral Network.
LinkedIn isn’t the only place lawyers gather to talk shop online though.
Reddit’s subreddit for solo or in a small firm lawyers offers discussion of the business and practice of law. It caters to lawyers who don’t have a large firm to lean on for advice and support. It’s not for legal analysis or substantive case discussion, or general academic or career advice unrelated to the solo/small-firm community.
Sponsored by the Lawyerist blog, it’s a forum for solo and small firm lawyers.
A listserv for solos sponsored by the GPSolo section of the ABA.
A Google + Community devoted to solos.
Conclusion
We’ve talked previously about how lawyers can use the web to market themselves. But it’s high time we discussed how lawyers can use the net to connect with each other.
What did I miss? Where do you go online to talk shop with other lawyers? Let me know in the comments!
And if you’re looking for a way to get your practice organized, check out our law practice management software category.
