A recent study by Martindale-Hubbell suggests that 88 percent of partners and 86 percent of corporate counsel use Martindale.com when conducting research for selection of a lawyer or firm.
Although I agree with Bob Ambrogi’s concern that these individuals are limiting themselves by placing too much weight on the Martindale directory, I certainly don’t find the results of this survey surprising. Before the Internet became a prime source of legal research, the print version of Martindale-Hubbell was the way to find a lawyer or law firm. This is simply a transfer of reliance on print materials to the Web.
Martindale is taking advantage of its popularity, by offering new client development products, including Edge Select, Sponsored Results, and Search Placement Pro — they sound like fairly typical search engine optimization services.