Client Review

How Client Review Works

Complete a Martindale-Hubbell® Client Review Survey

Clients can complete a brief, web-based questionnaire that provides insight into the firm's quality of legal representation, client service and value for money. The questionnaire—taking approximately five minutes to complete—also asks clients to provide recommendations by practice area, geography and industry.

Provide Anonymous Feedback

Client Reviews are anonymous and individual identities are not shared with the law firm. However a demographic summary of all Reviewers will be displayed.

Share Results

When Martindale-Hubbell receives a minimum of three completed Client Reviews, the data is aggregated and shared with the firm. If a firm chooses to share their Client Reviews, all responses will be displayed on LexisNexis sites¹. Firms may not choose which responses to publish, but must publish all or none of their completed Client Reviews. However, firms may select which narrative feedback they would like to publish beside their completed closed-question responses.

Benefits to Clients

Leverage Market Feedback

With Client Review data, you can leverage the direct experiences of other clients when evaluating law firms for a matter—especially in new geographical areas or where your knowledge of legal talent may be limited.

Make More Confident Decisions

Further justify the selection of a law firm by combining Client Review data with other indicators of expertise, including law firm profile data, Martindale-Hubbell® Peer Review Ratings™, litigation and transactional experience, legal articles and more.

Share Your Experience

Participating in Client Review improves the depth of decision-support content available to other buyers of legal services. This makes it easier to evaluate and select law firms with added confidence.

Review a Firm Today

To request a Martindale-Hubbell Client Review questionnaire or for more information, email clientreview@martindale.com or call:

1-800-526-4902, ext. 6789 or + 1-908-665-6789 United States
+1 403 870 6455 Canada
+44 (0) 20 7347 3700 International

¹ Lawyer ethics rules, including lawyer advertising rules, in the U.S, are complex. While states have generally based their rules on the American Bar Association's Model Rules of Professional Conduct, many states have adopted additional rules and exceptions. The result is that ethics rules and associated ethics opinions vary widely from one state to another. Firms must ensure their own compliance with the various ethics rules and opinions that might be applicable to particular circumstances, including participation in Martindale-Hubbell Client Review.

Disclaimer
Martindale-Hubbell® does not undertake to develop Client Reviews for all firms. Therefore, the fact that a firm has not been reviewed should not be construed as unfavorable. Martindale-Hubbell accepts no responsibility for and will not be liable for the content and accuracy of the individual Reviews and the aggregated Reviews.

All published Client Reviews on martindale.com® will display a disclaimer that states: No representation is made that the quality of legal services to be performed is greater than the quality of legal services performed by other lawyers. This testimonial or endorsement does not constitute a guarantee, warranty, or predication regarding the outcome of the legal matter. Any result the endorsed law firm may achieve on behalf of one client in one matter does not necessarily indicate that a similar result can be obtained for another client. Past performance cannot be an assurance of future results as each case must be decided on its own merits.

How Client Review Works

Law firms can nominate their clients to complete a brief, web-based questionnaire that provides insight into the firm's quality of legal representation, client service and value for money. The questionnaire—taking approximately five minutes to complete—also asks clients to provide recommendations by practice area, geography and industry.

Provide Anonymous Feedback

Client Reviews are anonymous and individual identities are not shared with the law firm. However a demographic summary of all Reviewers will be displayed.

Share Results

When Martindale-Hubbell receives a minimum of three completed Client Reviews, the data is aggregated and shared with the firm. If a firm chooses to share their Client Reviews, all responses will be displayed on LexisNexis sites². Firms may not choose which responses to publish, but must publish all or none of their completed Client Reviews. However, firms may select which narrative feedback they would like to publish beside their completed closed-question responses.

Benefits to Law Firms

Gain More Insight

Client Review feedback can be shared with prospects on LexisNexis web sites to differentiate your firm from competitors, adding depth and broader exposure to your Martindale-Hubbell profile. It can be used internally as third-party validation of your own internal client review process. Or it can be used as your primary source of feedback, too.

Promote Firm Expertise

Client Review helps drive awareness among current clients and qualified prospects of your firm's credentials, experience and client service excellence.

Differentiate Your Firm

Client Review data help firms attract new business by providing potential buyers with third-party validation that they are making the right hiring decision.

Nominate Clients Today

To request that a client receive a Martindale-Hubbell Client Review questionnaire or for more information, email clientreview@martindale.com or call:

1-800-526-4902, ext. 6789 or + 1-908-665-6789 United States
+1 403 870 6455 Canada
+44 (0) 20 7347 3700 International

Log into the Client Service Center and submit your client nominations. Note: If you are unable to locate your Client Service Center username and password, please use your email address as your username to reset your password. For more information, e-mail cscinfo@martindale.com or call 1-800-945-4958.

² Lawyer ethics rules, including lawyer advertising rules, in the U.S, are complex. While states have generally based their rules on the American Bar Association's Model Rules of Professional Conduct, many states have adopted additional rules and exceptions. The result is that ethics rules and associated ethics opinions vary widely from one state to another. Firms must ensure their own compliance with the various ethics rules and opinions that might be applicable to particular circumstances, including participation in Martindale-Hubbell Client Review.

Disclaimer
Martindale-Hubbell® does not undertake to develop Client Reviews for all firms. Therefore, the fact that a firm has not been reviewed should not be construed as unfavorable. Martindale-Hubbell accepts no responsibility for and will not be liable for the content and accuracy of the individual Reviews and the aggregated Reviews.

All published Client Reviews on martindale.com® will display a disclaimer that states: No representation is made that the quality of legal services to be performed is greater than the quality of legal services performed by other lawyers. This testimonial or endorsement does not constitute a guarantee, warranty, or predication regarding the outcome of the legal matter. Any result the endorsed law firm may achieve on behalf of one client in one matter does not necessarily indicate that a similar result can be obtained for another client. Past performance cannot be an assurance of future results as each case must be decided on its own merits.

Client Review: Frequently Asked Questions

• What is Martindale-Hubbell® Client Review?
• How can law firms nominate clients to participate in the review process?
• How are clients identified to perform a Client Review?
• I received an invitation to participate in Client Review, but my state bar rules prohibit me from providing testimonials or references for my outside counsel. What should I do?
• I received an e-mail inviting me to participate in Client Reviews. What is this?
• Can I forward my invitation to another person?
• What types of matters may be reviewed?
• Are Client Reviews anonymous?
• How does Martindale-Hubbell verify that the nominated clients are legitimate?
• Do law firms have the option of viewing Client Reviews before they are published on LexisNexis online sites?
• How many Client Reviews are required before being published?
• Is there a limit to the number of Client Reviews that a firm can have?
• What if Client Reviews are not published for a specific firm?
• How current are the Client Reviews that are published?
• Does a law firm have to subscribe to Martindale-Hubbell to participate in Client Review?
• Can a lawyer or law firm promote their Client Reviews in press releases or other marketing materials?
• What is the scope of Client Review?
• Whom do I contact if I have a question about pending reviews?
• Can I complete part of the survey then return later to finish?
• I had to close the Client Review survey before finishing. When I return to the survey via the e-mail link I found that my responses do not appear.
• I'd like to review other firms not included on the survey questionnaire.
• I have more questions about the Client Review process; whom do I contact?

Q. What is Martindale-Hubbell® Client Review?
A. Martindale-Hubbell® Client Review is a service that enables buyers and providers of legal services to benefit from client feedback provided through Martindale-Hubbell. Back to top

Q. How can law firms nominate clients to participate in the review process?
A. Firms can submit client nominations via our online Client Service Center at http://csc.martindale.com. For more information, e-mail cscinfo@martindale.com or call 1-800-945-4958. Back to top

Q. How are clients identified to perform a Client Review?
A. Buyers of legal services are either nominated by one of their law firms as a current or former client with specific experience with the law firm, or Martindale-Hubbell directly communicates with the client to review its law firm. In order for that review to be considered for publication, a minimum of three responses must be collected on the law firm under review. Back to top

Q. I received an invitation to participate in Client Review, but my state bar rules prohibit me from providing testimonials or references for my outside counsel. What should I do?
A. If you received a request to complete a Client Review and your state prohibits this type of activity, please accept our apologies and disregard the request. Back to top

Q. I received an e-mail inviting me to participate in Client Reviews. What is this?
A. The e-mail you received invites you to participate in the LexisNexis® Martindale-Hubbell® Client Review process. By participating and sharing your knowledge of the law firm under review, you will be providing an invaluable service to buyers of legal services who may consider hiring the law firm. Back to top

Q. Can I forward my invitation to another person?
A. No. Client Reviews are intended only for the original recipient, a person with first-hand knowledge of the firms being reviewed. Back to top

Q. What types of matters may be reviewed?
A. Clients are invited to submit Client Reviews only on matters that are not pending with the law firm under review. Submission of a response to a Client Review survey requires that the client respondent represent that he/she or his/her employer has been a client of the subject law firm and that he/she is completing the Client Review on matters that are not pending. Back to top

Q. Are Client Reviews anonymous?
A. Identities of individuals completing Client Reviews are not shared with the nominating firm and are not published. This allows client participants to provide candid assessments of their firms. However, Martindale-Hubbell will display a demographic summary of respondents who have completed Client Reviews for each firm and it could be possible to ascertain identities of respondents from this summary data. Back to top

Q. How does Martindale-Hubbell verify that the nominated clients are legitimate?
A. Client respondents affirm before submitting the completed Client Review that they have been clients of the firm. Back to top

Q. Do law firms have the option of viewing Client Reviews before they are published on LexisNexis online sites?
A. After a minimum of three Client Reviews have been received for a law firm under review, the responses will be aggregated and submitted to the firm for review and to publish on LexisNexis online sites. The firm has the option of displaying all or none of the Client Reviews. This display rule applies to all of a firm's published Client Reviews. When future Reviews become available for review, if the firm chooses not to publish the newly added aggregated responses all previously published Reviews also will be removed from display. With regard to the Additional Feedback question, however, a firm can selectively publish any or all of these narrative inputs, but it must have published Client Reviews in order for the Additional Feedback responses to be published. Back to top

Q. How many Client Reviews are required before being published?
A. Client Reviews are aggregated and published online when a minimum of three reviews have been reviewed for publication. Back to top

Q. Is there a limit to the number of Client Reviews that a firm can have?
A. No. The greater the number of reviews, the more value in-house counsel, referring lawyers and other consumers will derive from the information. Back to top

Q. What if Client Reviews are not published for a specific firm?
A. Martindale-Hubbell does not undertake to develop Client Reviews for all firms. Therefore, the fact that a firm has not been reviewed should not be construed as unfavorable. Back to top

Q. How current are the Client Reviews that are published?
A. Client Reviews that are over twenty-four months old will be archived, but still available for review online.

Q. Does a law firm have to subscribe to Martindale-Hubbell to participate in Client Review?
A. No. Any firm is eligible to participate. However, if a firm is not a subscriber, we will not be able to display the review data on martindale.com. Back to top

Q. Can a lawyer or law firm promote their Client Reviews in press releases or other marketing materials?
A. Yes. Back to top

Q. What is the scope of Client Review?
A. Client Reviews will be conducted worldwide for firms of all sizes. Back to top

Q. Whom do I contact if I have a question about pending reviews?
A. To review the status of pending reviews send a detailed e-mail to clientreview@martindale.com. Back to top

Q. Can I complete part of the survey then return later to finish?
A. No. It is strongly recommended that the survey be completed and submitted in one session. If the browser is closed before the survey is submitted your responses may be lost. Back to top

Q. I had to close the Client Review survey before finishing. When I return to the survey via the e-mail link I found that my responses do not appear.
A. Responses are only saved to the system when the "submit" button is clicked. If you did not click the submit button before the survey window closed, the responses on that page would have been lost. Back to top

Q. I'd like to review other firms not included on the survey questionnaire.
A. The survey link includes the option to add additional law firms for you to review. We will send you a new Client Review questionnaire to complete for each of the firms you nominate, once the contact details have been confirmed. Back to top

Q. I have more questions about the Client Review process; whom do I contact?
A. You may contact your Client Development Solutions Specialist or call the numbers indicated below for additional information on Client Review. Back to top

United States: 1-800-526-4902, ext. 6789 or + 1-908-665-6789
Canada: +1 403 870 6455
International: +44 (0) 20 7347 3700
E-mail: clientreview@martindale.com