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Leaders in Legal Business
Chapter 2 – Legal Business Publishers and Publications Bill Carter 1
ALM
President & CEO
Overview of the Offering
News and current awareness offerings for the legal professional serve the same purpose as general
newspapers and magazines. They inform, interpret, and entertain. For the first 140 years, these offerings were
focused on news and information for the attorney, with at best a limited coverage of firms, their clients, and the
industry overall. In the 1970s, a series of events dramatically changed the landscape and coverage of the legal
profession.
At the broadest level, the current awareness sources relied upon by lawyers are focused on either the
practice of law or the business of law. Practice of law publishers produce content that helps legal professionals
provide better legal service to their clients. These sources might provide alerts on new court decisions or
legislation, or provide daily analysis on a practice area such as employment law, bankruptcy, or intellectual
property.
Business of law publishers provide industry, competitive, and people intelligence, supporting lawyers in
the management of the law firm and their practice. Sample topics include new client relationships, law firm
mergers, and business trends in the legal industry.
Many general and business-oriented news organizations include coverage of the business of law for
business and general audiences. Examples include The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and Reuters.
This chapter excludes these generalists, instead focusing on offerings intended for the legal professional.
History of Business of Law Offerings
The concept of the modern newspaper emerged in 17th-
century Europe when printed periodicals began rapidly replacing
hand-written newssheets. The spread of the printing press enabled
the emergence of this new media.
America’s oldest daily legal newspaper is The Legal
Intelligencer, which serves Philadelphia, PA and the surrounding
areas. Since its founding in 1843, it has set the standard for
subsequent legal newspapers. It covers legal news, decisions, court
calendars, and legislation, and provides analysis and insight in
columns written by leading professionals.
Over the next 170 years, daily and weekly newspapers with a geographical focus were introduced in large
legal markets worldwide. In the United States, major titles include The Chicago Daily Law Bulletin, The New
York Law Journal, The New Jersey Law Journal, The San Francisco Daily Journal, The Connecticut Law Tribune,
and Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly. The Lawyer and Legal Week cover the United Kingdom, the second largest
legal market in the world. Other geographically focused titles include The Canadian Lawyer, The Asian Lawyer,
The Latin Lawyer, and The Iberian Lawyer.
1 Bill Carter took leadership of ALM as president and chief executive officer in March 2012. Carter has championed various acquisition strategies advancing
the growth and expansion of markets ALM serves. In 2013, Bill was honored as a C-Level Visionary with a Folio: 100 Award.
He joined ALM from Thomson Reuters where he was senior vice president of the Small Law Business Unit since 2010 and led its successful
reorganization and growth. An accomplished expert in the digital and legal services industry, he has also driven significant value creation as a senior
executive at LexisNexis, Epiq Systems, Gerson Lehrman Group, and GES Exposition Services.
Carter earned a B.S. in Computer Science at Tulane University, a Master’s in Computer Science from Georgia Tech, and an MBA with honors from The
Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.
6
Chapter 2 – Legal Business Publishers and Publications Bill Carter 1
ALM
President & CEO
Overview of the Offering
News and current awareness offerings for the legal professional serve the same purpose as general
newspapers and magazines. They inform, interpret, and entertain. For the first 140 years, these offerings were
focused on news and information for the attorney, with at best a limited coverage of firms, their clients, and the
industry overall. In the 1970s, a series of events dramatically changed the landscape and coverage of the legal
profession.
At the broadest level, the current awareness sources relied upon by lawyers are focused on either the
practice of law or the business of law. Practice of law publishers produce content that helps legal professionals
provide better legal service to their clients. These sources might provide alerts on new court decisions or
legislation, or provide daily analysis on a practice area such as employment law, bankruptcy, or intellectual
property.
Business of law publishers provide industry, competitive, and people intelligence, supporting lawyers in
the management of the law firm and their practice. Sample topics include new client relationships, law firm
mergers, and business trends in the legal industry.
Many general and business-oriented news organizations include coverage of the business of law for
business and general audiences. Examples include The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and Reuters.
This chapter excludes these generalists, instead focusing on offerings intended for the legal professional.
History of Business of Law Offerings
The concept of the modern newspaper emerged in 17th-
century Europe when printed periodicals began rapidly replacing
hand-written newssheets. The spread of the printing press enabled
the emergence of this new media.
America’s oldest daily legal newspaper is The Legal
Intelligencer, which serves Philadelphia, PA and the surrounding
areas. Since its founding in 1843, it has set the standard for
subsequent legal newspapers. It covers legal news, decisions, court
calendars, and legislation, and provides analysis and insight in
columns written by leading professionals.
Over the next 170 years, daily and weekly newspapers with a geographical focus were introduced in large
legal markets worldwide. In the United States, major titles include The Chicago Daily Law Bulletin, The New
York Law Journal, The New Jersey Law Journal, The San Francisco Daily Journal, The Connecticut Law Tribune,
and Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly. The Lawyer and Legal Week cover the United Kingdom, the second largest
legal market in the world. Other geographically focused titles include The Canadian Lawyer, The Asian Lawyer,
The Latin Lawyer, and The Iberian Lawyer.
1 Bill Carter took leadership of ALM as president and chief executive officer in March 2012. Carter has championed various acquisition strategies advancing
the growth and expansion of markets ALM serves. In 2013, Bill was honored as a C-Level Visionary with a Folio: 100 Award.
He joined ALM from Thomson Reuters where he was senior vice president of the Small Law Business Unit since 2010 and led its successful
reorganization and growth. An accomplished expert in the digital and legal services industry, he has also driven significant value creation as a senior
executive at LexisNexis, Epiq Systems, Gerson Lehrman Group, and GES Exposition Services.
Carter earned a B.S. in Computer Science at Tulane University, a Master’s in Computer Science from Georgia Tech, and an MBA with honors from The
Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.
6
