As Artificial Lawyer predicted, just before Easter, LinkedIn has finally launched its new lawyer and professional services marketplace. And what better way to explain it all than with one of UpCounsel’s former senior figures, Matt Faustman, who is now Marketplaces Product Lead at LinkedIn.
‘Today is a very exciting day for the UpCounsel team and for me personally, as I’m thrilled to share that we are now a part of the LinkedIn family. This new chapter of working alongside the amazing team at LinkedIn presents boundless opportunities to extend the UpCounsel vision we created so many years ago to new and exciting horizons.
It has always been about the people
Since Mason and I founded UpCounsel, we have always focused on bringing together remarkable people. At the core was a mission to make the legal industry work better for both clients and lawyers. Throughout the journey, we have been fortunate to work with a talented group of diverse builders, leaders, and operators that were passionate about that mission.
Those same commitments to a mission, the people, and customers have been apparent in every interaction we’ve had with LinkedIn along our journey. It’s why we’ve always seen LinkedIn as an ideal home and why when the opportunity arose, our choice was clear. We are elated to help accelerate LinkedIn’s service marketplace offerings and bring service-based businesses and the clients they serve closer together.
Speaking of astounding people, UpCounsel would not have moved a single inch without the thousands of trailblazing lawyers that drove its engine each and every day. Entrepreneurial and resilient, they helped us successfully rise above challenges and all the while providing the critical input to help us craft a successful marketplace that impacted millions.
Bringing economic opportunity to the world of services
At the heart of joining Linkedin was the opportunity to drive a lasting impact on the changing and expanding world of service providers, freelancers, and remote work. LinkedIn has uniquely created a platform and network of highly engaged professionals which already serves as a critical step in the procurement of service providers. The social proof built into the LinkedIn network and the numerous tools already available to professionals creates unparalleled value. Building the vertical marketplace model honed by the UpCounsel team into LinkedIn’s platform and social graph, and then replicating it across 100 different industries opens up limitless potential to empower service providers around the globe. Of course, one of the verticals we will be developing and broadening is Legal.
The world of services has never seemed so ripe for software and online marketplaces to create positive economic impact. We’ve been working around the clock since September to bring the first phases of our vision with LinkedIn online. And now, in the wake of COVID-19, our efforts have been turned up several notches as we race to bring to market opportunities and value to help service providers and small businesses successfully weather these uncertain times.
Last but not least, thank you
For many entrepreneurs, no matter the shape of the journey, building a company is a life-changing process of ups and downs that reshapes you through a series of sometimes painful lessons. Most of the time, you make it through because of the people you surround yourself with that support you, guide you and cheer you on. We are no exception and we are eternally grateful to those that joined us on this journey.
With that being said, thank you to our customers, all of our former and current employees, our advisors, our investors, our friends and families, and the UpCounsel attorney community. Finally, we are forever indebted to our wives, the 3rd and 4th co-founders of UpCounsel, and grateful for your patience, support, and love.
We are enthusiastic about sharing more about our journey with LinkedIn as this is just the beginning of a whole new chapter. Upward and onward!’
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Matt’s original post is here.
The previous story about all of this by Artificial Lawyer is here.
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