<I>RI Law Tribune</I> closes; state of economy blamed

Almost exactly a year to the date that the Rhode Island Law Tribune published its first issue, it published its last.


In an economy where finding advertising dollars is difficult, a brand new weekly newspaper distributed to lawyers and judges for free, had little chance of turning a profit, said Vincent Valvo, publisher and editor of Law Tribune Newspapers, a subsidiary of American Lawyer Media, which owned the paper.


“I think the only thing that went wrong was the overall economy,” said Valvo. “When we launched the paper we were coming off of one of the strongest economies we had ever seen.


Then we had a difficult spring, and after Sept. 11 there was another dramatic drop. We just couldn’t turn it into a profitable venture on a timetable that made sense right now.”




Valvo said were there an absence of a competitor in the state, the publication could have become subscription-driven, but as the model stood, the company felt one year was too short of an introductory period to start soliciting subscriptions.


“We did have a good advertising year, but without a subscriber base, we weren’t making enough money,” he said.


Jeffery Baskies is president and CEO of Lawyers Weekly Inc., who publishes Rhode Island Lawyers Weekly, the only competitor of Rhode Island Law Tribune in the state. He said his company has also felt the pinch of a tight economy.


“There isn’t a publication in America that’s being honest if they say they haven’t felt something,” he said. “We’ve seen a slight drop in circulation, but that’s sort of a standard thing in this economy. And a lot of the advertising dollars we lost were from classifieds. We can’t make people hire.”


Baskies said he interprets Rhode Island Law Tribune folding as a positive testimony to his company’s product, not a negative statement about the Law Tribune.


“We’ve been in the Rhode Island legal community for 20 years now and our readership showed its loyalty,” he said. “When you consider a free publication that’s being handed out to everyone, that’s pretty tough competition. We charge $255 for a subscription and that’s a lot of money compared to zero.”


Valvo said he loved doing business in Rhode Island, but Law Tribune Newspapers has more experience and success with its other markets.


“We came to a business decision that what we need to do is concentrate references on our core products in Boston, Connecticut and western Massachusetts.”


Rhode Island Law Tribune Editor Judith Kelliher said she is “still working on” what her role will be with Law Tribune Newspapers now that publishing has stopped at her branch, but she will definitely miss Rhode Island.


“I think it was a great experience and I think it was very well received in the Rhode Island legal community,” she said.


Rhode Island Chief Justice Frank J. Williams affirmed that the publication will, in fact be missed.


“It’s a sad day when any business or publication is forced to close,” he said. “The Rhode Island Law Tribune put a special effort into showing the human side of our courts – from the people we serve, to the judges, magistrates, and staff who carry out their important responsibilities. “