Washington State Bar Foundation Program Awarded LexisNexis® Martindale-Hubbell® Legal Fellowship

Funds Will Be Used to Subsidize Costs of "Leadership Institute" for Promising Young Lawyers from Diverse Backgrounds Across the State

New Providence, N.J. – August 30, 2006 – LexisNexis Martindale-Hubbell, the leading provider of client development solutions for the legal profession, today announced that it has awarded its LexisNexis Legal Fellowship to the Washington State Bar Foundation, a non-profit organization that supports the public service efforts of the Washington State Bar Association (WSBA).

The $15,000 grant from Martindale-Hubbell will be used to help underwrite the costs of the WSBA Leadership Institute, an innovative leadership training program in the state of Washington that is specifically geared toward increasing leadership skills and opportunities among attorneys from diverse and underrepresented groups throughout the state.

The LexisNexis Martindale-Hubbell Legal Fellowship is a unique program that promotes education, the practice of public interest law and diversity in the legal profession.

"By selecting the WSBA Leadership Institute for this generous grant, Martindale-Hubbell is making a very conscious investment in the future of the legal profession and helping us to cultivate the next generation of leaders in our state," said James Williams, partner in the Seattle office of Perkins Coie LLP and chairman of the WSBA Leadership Institute. "The goal of this program is to make sure that promising young lawyers of diverse backgrounds do not slip through the cracks in our profession. We are striving to fill the talent pipeline by reaching deeper into diverse communities throughout the state of Washington and these funds from Martindale-Hubbell will help us accomplish that goal."

According to Williams, the mission of the WSBA Leadership Institute is to recruit, train and retain Washington state attorneys who have been in practice between three and 10 years, particularly those from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds, women and those from other traditionally under-represented groups. The funding from Martindale-Hubbell will be used to expand the program into the communities of Bellingham, Vancouver and Yakima, each of which have significant minority populations.

The LexisNexis Martindale-Hubbell Legal Fellowship awards two $15,000 grants each year – one in the summer and one in the winter – to individuals or associations whose applications are selected by the company's Legal Fellowship committee. Funding for the Legal Fellowship is generated by sales from Martindale-Hubbell's new Peer Review Rating Acknowledgements program. In collaboration with the company's exclusive partner, Universal Recognition LLC, a wide range of products are now available for attorneys with Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review Ratings who wish to showcase their professional standing. These include Peer Review Rating crystal certificates, wall plaques and certificate marquees. To view the acknowledgement offerings and review pricing information, please go to www.mhur.com.

The deadline for the next fellowship is December 31, 2006, with the winner to be announced in January 2007. For more information or to complete and submit the application for a fellowship grant, please go to www.martindale.com/ratings and click on the "Legal Fellowship" icon.