Robert Ambrogi Blog
The new magazine version will be mailed tomorrow.
The National Law Journal is discontinuing as a weekly newspaper and becoming a monthly magazine, its publisher ALM announced today.
“As part of ALM’s response to the ongoing shift in readers’ consumption of content, The National Law Journal (NLJ) is introducing a monthly print magazine to add value and complement its robust digital offering,” a statement from the company said.
As a former editor-in-chief of the NLJ, I am particularly stung by this news. But I can’t say I’m surprised. Just in the past year, ALM has discontinued the print versions of its publications InsideCounsel, Connecticut Law Tribune and San Francisco Recorder and transformed its Texas Lawyer from a weekly paper to a monthly magazine.
The first issue of the monthly magazine will be mailed tomorrow. The NLJ will continue to publish its popular surveys, rankings and features, including The NLJ 500, Go To Law Schools, and Appellate Hot List, online and in the magazine, ALM said.
The NLJ’s website will deliver breaking news updates and timely news features and analysis. The magazine will provide more in-depth reporting and analysis, ALM said, and will provide expanded coverage of federal courts and the Supreme Court.
“The National Law Journal is embracing our digital-first strategy to meet readers’ evolving content needs and help advertisers reach larger audiences,” said Richard Caruso, vice president and general manager of Legal Media at ALM. “As subscribers’ content consumption patterns continue to shift toward digital platforms, we expect more of our legal brands to adapt, enabling a greater number of legal professionals to develop a long-term competitive edge.”
The NLJ was founded in 1978 by Jerry Finkelstein as a sibling to the New York Law Journal and later run by Jerry’s son James Finkelstein. ALM acquired it in 1997, creating what was then the country’s largest publisher of legal news.
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