Martindale-Hubbell

Martindale-Hubbell is an information services company to the legal profession[2] that was founded in 1868. The company publishes the Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory, which provides background information on lawyers and law firms in the United States and other countries. It also published the Martindale Hubbell Law Digest, a summary of laws around the world. Martindale-Hubbell is currently owned by consumer website company Internet Brands.[1]

Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory volumes on the shelf at a law library
Martindale-Hubbell
Parent companyInternet Brands[1]
Founded1868
FounderJames B. Martindale
Country of originUnited States
Headquarters locationNew Providence, New Jersey
Nonfiction topicslaw
Official websitewww.martindale.com

History

Martindale's Directory was first published in 1868 by James B. Martindale, a lawyer and businessman.[3] He wrote in the Preface:

"The object of the work is to furnish to Lawyers, Bankers, Wholesale Merchants, Manufacturers, Real Estate Agents, and all others who may have need of business correspondents away from home, the address of one reliable law firm, one reliable bank, and one reliable real estate agent in each city and town in the United States; also to give the laws of the several States on subjects of a commercial character that are of interest or importance to business men, or have a bearing on mercantile transactions and the collection of debts. ...
In view of constant and rapid changes occurring among Law firms, by reason of death, retirement, election of office, dissolution, and an occasional degeneracy, making the best list of necessity short-lived, and in view of the continual changes being made in the commercial laws of the several States, we will thoroughly revise this work once a year, and publish it annually, on the first of every January."[3][4]

In 1870, the first edition of Hubbell's Legal Directory appeared. As stated in the Introduction:

"...The vast and extending relations of business, the immense territory over which this business must be transacted, and the difficulties that often occur in obtaining reliable correspondents and information respecting the collection of debts in the different States, seem to create a necessity for a work of this character..."[5]

By 1896, Martindale's Directory included basic information that still appears in the modern "Practice Profile" listings, ratings and a section on foreign lawyers and firms. The Law Digests of all the States and Provinces constituted a new and valuable feature, being the substance of the law adapted to the comprehension of business men, and not mere copies of statutes, as had been the case with most similar publications.[3][6] The same year, the twenty sixth volume of the Hubbell's Legal Directory appeared, containing 1,600 pages of finely printed information.[7]

In 1916, Martindale's American Law Directory contained the following: In Part I – tabulated laws, collection rates, lawyers of the U.S., of Canada, of Newfoundland, lawyers of fourteen largest cities, Canons of Professional Ethics. In Part II – foreign attorneys, diplomatic service of the U.S., Tariff of American Consular Fees, U.S. Consular Service. Part III – Law Digests of the U.S. and Canada, Law Digest of Newfoundland, Cuba Law Digest, English Law Digest, French Law Digest, German Law Digest, Mexico Law Digest, the Netherlands Law Digest, U.S. Bankruptcy Law Digest, U.S. Patent Law Digest, U.S. Trademark Law Digest, U.S. Court Calendar and Court Calendar of States.[8]

In 1930, the Martindale Company purchased the publishing rights to Hubbell's Legal Directory, which consisted of a digest of the collected laws of each state; court calendars; and a selective list of lawyers and firms.[3][9]

Through the combination of the Martindale's Directory and Hubbell's Legal Directory, the first edition of the Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory was produced in 1931 as a two-volume set.[3][10] Volume I consisted of, other than lawyers listings, lawyers in America (complete list of the Bar of the USA), lawyers of Canada and the Colony of Newfoundland (complete list of the Bar), selected list of foreign lawyers, list of patent attorneys and a biographical section. Volume II contained the Law Digests, which included a topical index, Digests of the Laws of the States, Territories and Possessions of the USA, Digests of the Laws of Canada, Digests of the Laws of 40 Foreign Countries, United States Patent, Tax and Trademark Law Digests, Court Calendars and uniform acts, approved and recommended for adoption by the National Conference on Uniform State Laws and Proceedings. The Preface to the Law Digest commenced with the words:

"No feature of the modern directory is of more value to the law office than the section which is devoted to the synopses of laws of the several states and foreign jurisdictions."[11]

In 1951, a digest was added for the new country of Israel. Meanwhile, internal conditions as well as difficulties of communication with Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Poland and Rumania had made it necessary to withdraw publication of law digests for these countries. These law digests were revised and again published in the 1990s. Throughout the years Martindale Hubbell Law Digest, which was revised and published annually, has been considered as an incomplete encyclopaedia of comparative law in English.[12][13][14]

In 1963, Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory was published in four volumes. Volumes I, II and III contained in the geographical section a roster as complete as possible of the Bar of the U.S. and Canada with ratings and other information, listings of the U.S. Government lawyers located at Washington, D.C., grouped by Departments, Agencies etc. A special section contained names of lawyers registered before the United States Patent Office. A similar section for Canada was included. In another part of the Directory was presented a selected list of lawyers in other countries. Volume IV contained digests of the laws and court calendars for the fifty states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and digests of the U.S. Copyright, Patent and Trademark laws. Some of the Uniform and Model Acts were also included as well as were digests of the laws of the Dominion of Canada, of the Canadian Provinces and of 53 countries or jurisdictions, including Germany, the Union of the Soviet Socialist Republics, the Republic of China, England, Scotland and Northern Ireland, Yugoslavia.[15]

In 1990, Martindale-Hubbell was purchased by Reed International P.L.C.[16][17] Reed Elsevier came into being in 1992, following the merger of Reed International, a British trade book and magazine publisher, and Elsevier, the Netherlands-based scientific publisher.[18]

2007 Edition of Martindale-Hubbell Law Digest on CD-ROM. This was Martindale Hubbell's One Hundred Thirty Ninth Year. The complete Martindale-Hubbell Law Digest was compiled and updated each year by law firms and legal scholars in each jurisdiction. It included up-to-date digests of the laws of the 50 states of the USA, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands, useful information on the United States Federal, Copyright and Trademark laws, the United States Uniform and Model Acts as well as American Bar Association's Codes. The International Digest included summaries of the laws of 82 countries, a separate digest setting forth European Union Law, in deference to the laws of many European countries and selected international conventions.

The 2006 printed edition of the Martindale-Hubbell International Law Directory presented in-depth profiles on more than 8,000 law firms and 100,000 lawyers from 165 countries, from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe.[19] The 2006 edition of the Martindale Hubbell Law Digest appeared in a two-volume set. The first volume contained digests of the laws of each of the United States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, digests of the U.S. Federal, Copyright, Patent and Trademark laws of the United States, the Model Rules for Professional Conduct of the American Bar Association, the Code of Judicial Conduct and the composition, jurisdiction and rules of procedure of the American Bar Association Standing Committee on Ethics and Professional Responsibility.[20] The second volume contained digests of the laws of 82 major trading countries as well as brief descriptions of their government and legal systems. In case of Australia and Canada, digests of the states and provinces of these countries were included along with the digest of their federal laws, and a separate digest of the European Union law, because of its significance for a number of European countries. The digests were compiled and revised by distinguished lawyers and legal scholars of the respective states and countries. The second volume contained also the texts of ten international conventions, to which the United States of America was a party, the complete texts of many Uniform Acts including the Uniform Commercial Code and the Uniform Probate Code and four Model Acts including the Revised Model Business Corporation Act.

In 2007, Martindale Hubbell Law Digest ceased to be printed in the standard bound two volumes and became available via CD-ROM and via subscription On-line. Individual digests became available for purchase via amazon.com. In 2009, all the 150 Law Digests could be consulted free of charge on martindale.com.[21]

In October 2013, Reed Elsevier entered into a joint venture with Internet Brands, LLC.[22] In March 2014, the joint venture was completed resulting in the combination of Martindale-Hubbell, Lawyers.com and Internet Brand's Nolo legal division. The joint venture operates under the name of Martindale-Hubbell.[1]

Products and services
  • Martindale-Hubbell® Peer Review Ratings™, has been used to recognize lawyers for their strong legal ability and high ethical standards for more than a century.[23] Martindale.com contains the profiles of over one million lawyers and firms globally.[3]

  • Lawyers.com and martindale.com began offering free, online legal assistance to the public in June 1998, and has more than one million lawyers and law firms worldwide in its database.[24][25][26] The site contains a database of lawyers in the United States and allows users to search for lawyers using factors like geography, specialty, language and law school.[25] Lawyers in the database are assigned an ISLN (International Standard Lawyer Number).
2010 Edition of Martindale Hubbell Law Digest ON CD-ROM. This was the last published edition of the Law Digest.
  • The Law Blog includes posts from lawyers on issues, trends and news in the legal profession such as immigration, personal injury, estate planning, etc. In November 2011 the Lawyers.com blog launched a New Jury Roundup weekly news feature entitled, "Editor's Choice: Jury Awards Edition." The news feature reports on large jury awards won by individuals in recent personal injury cases.[27]

References
  1. "Internet Brands® and LexisNexis Announce Completion of Joint Venture Combining Professional and Consumer Legal Brands" (PDF) (Press release). Internet Brands. 2014-03-03. Retrieved 2015-02-27.
  2. Artley, Meredith (2004-10-23). "Finding legal information online". The New York Times. Nytimes.com. Retrieved 2012-11-21.
  3. "About Martindale-Hubbell". Martindale.com. Retrieved 2012-11-21.
  4. Martindale, James B. (1874). Revised Annually, Martindale's United States Law Directory for 1874: Containing the Names of One or More of the Most Reliable Law Firms, Banks, and Real Estate Agents in Each of the Principal Cities and Towns of the United States and Canada; And Also, An Extensive Digest of the Commercial Laws of Each of the States and Territories and Canada, with the Times for Holding Courts; the Bankrupt Law in Full, With All the Forms and Rules of Court; Also, A Complete List of All the Money Order Post Offices in the United States. Indianopolis, Ind: J.B. Martindale & Co., Managers of the Western Law and Collection Association. p. iii.
  5. The National Legal Directory, Embracing the Names of One or More of the Leading and Most Reliable Attorneys In Over Three Thousand Cities and Towns in the United States and Territories. Also, A Synopsis of the Collection of the Laws of Each State; With Rules and Instructions For Taking Depositions, The Execution and Acknowledgement of Deeds, Etc. St. Louis, Mo.: Prepared and Published by HUBBELL & CRAVEN. 1870.
  6. Martindale, James B. (1896). Twenty-Eight Year, Martindale's American Law Directory (Annual) 1896. Containing All the Lawyers in the United States and Canada-about 85,000 in all-with Date of Birth, Date of Admission, and Ratings (except in very large cities) for Legal Ability, Reliability, Financial Worth and Promptness in Paying Bills; Also Foreign Attorneys in Every Civilized Country in the World. United States Consular Service, Banks in the United States and Canada. Law Digests of all the States and Provinces, Court Calendars of all the States and Territories. All of which have been thoroughly revised and brought up to date. Indispensable in Every Line of Business where credits are given or collections made. Honesty, Capability and Promptness are the best Guarantees. If a lawyer possess these, you want no guarantee bond. If not, a bond will prove only a delusion and a snare. Chicago: J.B.Martindale. p. 4.
  7. Hubbell, J.H., ed. (1896). 1896, Twenty-sixth Year, Hubbell's Legal Directory for Lawyers and Business Men, Containing the Names of One or More of the Leading and Most Reliable Attorneys in Over Four Thousand Cities and Towns in the United States and Canada, A Synopsis of the Collection of Laws of each State, and Canada, with Instructions for Taking Depositions, the Execution and Acknowledgement of Deeds, Wills; A Synopsis of Patent Laws, etc., and Times for Holding Courts throughout the United States and Territories for the Year 1896 (Revised to October 1st, 1895.); Also a List of U.S. Consuls, With the Officers and Committees of the American Bar Association; To Which is Added a List of Prominent Banks and Bankers Throughout the U.S. New York: The Hubbell Publishing Company. p. 5.
  8. Forty-Eight Year, Martindale's American Law Directory (Annual), January 1916; Established by J.B. Martindale in 1868. New York: G.B. Martindale, Publisher. 1916.
  9. Sixtieth Year, Hubbbell's Legal Directory, 1930; for the Service of the Lawyer and Business Execituve; The Oldest Publication of Its Kind. New York: The Hubbell Publishing Company. 1930.
  10. Sixty-Third Year, The Martindale-Hubbbell Law Directory (Annual); Martindale's American Law Directory 1868–1930; Hubbell's Legal Directory 1870–1930; The Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory 1931; January 1931 (In Two Volumes). New York: Martindale Hubbell Law Directory Inc., Publishers. 1931.
  11. Magrauth, Joseph Walker, ed. (1931). Sixty-Third Year, The Martindale-Hubbbell Law Directory (Annual); Martindale's American Law Directory 1868-1930; Hubbell's Legal Directory 1870–1930; The Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory 1931; January 1931. II. New York: Martindale Hubbell Law Directory. p. iv.
  12. David, Rene; Brieley, John E.C. (1968). Major Legal Systems in the World Today, An Introduction to the Comparative Study of Law (1 ed.). London: The Free Press, Collier-Macmillan Limited. p. 494.
  13. Stoffel, Walter A. (1987). "National Reports, Switzerland". In Knapp, Viktor (ed.). International Encyclopedia of Comparative Law. I. Tübingen and Dorderecht, Boston, Lancaster: J.C.B. Mohr (Paul Siebeck) and Martinus Nijhoff Publishers. p. S-201.
  14. See also, e.g., Rheinstein, Max; Glendon, Mary Ann (2011). "Inheritance". Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica Deluxe Edition. Chicago: Encyclopædia Britannica.
  15. Martindale-Hubbbell Law Directory in Four Volumes, Ninety-Fifth Annual Edition, 1963, Complete Legal Directory Service. Summit, New Jersey: Martindale Hubbell Inc., Publishers. 1963.
  16. Prokesch, Steven (1992-02-09). "Britain's Low-Profile Publishing Giant". New York Times. Retrieved 2012-11-21.
  17. "The Media Business; Martindale Sold to British Publisher". The New York Times. 1989-11-23.
  18. Edward A. Gargan (6 October 1994). "Reed-Elsevier Building Big Presence in the U.S." New York Times. Retrieved February 18, 2008.
  19. Martindale-Hubbell International Law Directory; - I - ; Europe, Asia, Austalasia, Middle East, Africa; Professional Biographies; Law Firms Associations; Expert Services; One Hundred Thirty Eighth Year. New Providence, NJ. 2006. p. IV. ISBN 1-56160-720-7.; Martindale-Hubbell International Law Directory; – II – ; North America, The Caribbean, Central America, South America ; Professional Biographies; Law Firms Associations; Expert Services; One Hundred Thirty Eighth Year. New Providence, NJ. 2006. p. IV.
  20. Martindale-Hubbell Law Digest; U.S. States, U.S. Federal, U.S. Copyright, Patent, Trademark Law Digests; A.B.A. Codes. New Providence, NJ: LexisNexis Martindale Hubbell; One Hundred Thirty Eighth Year. 2006. ISBN 1-56160-718-5.
  21. LexisHub Staff (2009-10-09). "Press Release: Martindale-Hubbell Law Digests Now Available For Your Free Use". LexisNexis.com LexisNexis® Legal Newsroom Lexis Hub. Retrieved 2016-09-16.
  22. "LexisNexis® Martindale-Hubbell® and Internet Brands® Announce Joint Venture". relx.com. 2013-08-30. Retrieved 2019-03-13.
  23. "Martindale-Hubbell Attorney Reviews and Ratings". Martindale-Hubbell.
  24. Nusbaum, Marci Alboher (2000-05-11). "Untangling the Legal Maze by Surfing the Web". New York Times. Nytimes.com. Retrieved 2012-11-21.
  25. Lee, Jennifer 8. (2001-02-22). "Legal Aid Online; Web's Law Library: A Partial Catalog". New York Times. Nytimes.com. Retrieved 2012-11-21.
  26. Sarji, Hani (2012-04-18). "Declining Health Is Scary: Estate And Financial Planning Can Protect You". Forbes. Retrieved 2012-11-21.
  27. "New Jury Verdict Roundup Launched on Lawyers.com Blog". MarketWatch.com. 2011-11-07. Retrieved 2012-11-21.
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