Since the first Lawyers Diary and Manual was published more than 125 years ago, legal professionals have trusted the annual volumes to provide comprehensive, reliable reference information. Technology has changed over the years, but our mission has remained constant: to help the legal community connect.
An expert research staff continually compiles and edits the information that appears in the printed "Red Book" as well as the web-based LDMonline, so that our subscribers can efficiently focus on the practice of law rather than the "who and where" of law.
Strict attention to detail ensures the inclusion and accuracy of every listing – for law firms, attorneys, courts, government agencies and others – in every edition. LDM investigators research diverse public sources of data and personally verify through direct inquiry names, contact information, filing fees, court terms and motion schedules and much more.
No other legal publication invests the time and effort required to deliver a reference volume of this quality. This is one of the many reasons the Lawyers Diary and Manual has been the definitive resource for lawyers and their staffs for more than a century.
How it began
Aaron Skinder and Frieda Pickman graduated law school in New York City in 1929. Instead of practicing law, they decided to create a firm that would provide products and services to the legal community.
They began a courier service in Newark, N.J., running papers between firms and courts. In 1939, they launched a directory of legal community members to facilitate the sending of documents. In addition to starting their firm, they married and started a family.
Their directory became quite popular and began to take on a "life" of its own. The two attorneys then purchased a statewide attorney directory and legal guide that was first published in 1888 and continues today as the New Jersey Lawyers Diary and Manual.
Over time, Aaron, Frieda and their children created directories for New York, Massachusetts and Florida, and also purchased a similar though smaller publisher in New Hampshire.
The Skinders passed away in the 1970s, and the courier service and publishing operations are still owned by the founding family through its company Skinder-Strauss Associates.
Today the company is operated by a combination of Aaron and Frieda’s grandchildren, professional managers trained at some of the country’s leading companies such as Dun & Bradstreet, and four attorneys in senior management positions. The entire team is proud to serve and be a part of our legal community.
In addition to the Lawyers Diary and Manual, Skinder-Strauss Associates owns three other companies that help the legal community connect, including New Jersey Lawyers Service LLC; Empire Lawyers Service LLC (dba American Clerical Service); and e-Law LLC.
A family of publications and services
The following list shows the publications and services that are now part of our family of products, along with the year each was launched. All publications continue to be updated and are available for purchase.
Publications
- Fitzgerald’s Legislative Manual® (1871)
- New Jersey Lawyers Diary and Manual® (1888)
- New York Lawyers Diary and Manual® (1898)
- Florida Lawyers Diary and Manual® (1957)
- Massachusetts Lawyers Diary and Manual® (1959)
- New Hampshire Law Directory & Daybook (1975)
- The Legal Pages® – New Jersey edition (1988)
- The Legal Pages® – New York edition (2003)
Services
- Courier and process service by New Jersey Lawyers Service (1929)
- Customized legal marketing services, LegaList (1986)
- Courier and appearance services – American Clerical Service (acquired 1997)
Online
- Lawyers Diary and Manual PC Edition® (1993)
- Web-based LDMonline and LDMoffice (2011)
- eLaw.com (2000)