Lawyers in Love—in Cyberspace

by Emmett Berg

Attorneys and online dating--could it be a match made in heaven? California lawyer Wendy Freedman, who launched LawDate.com last summer, certainly hopes so.

"This site targets busy professionals and caters to the attorney's lifestyle," says Freedman, a LeClairRyan partner in Beverly Hills whose site pairs attorneys with each other or with other professionals who want to date a lawyer.

So far, it's working for Burbank attorney Claudia Chong (not her real name), who had already given up on better-known dating sites such as Match.com and eHarmony.com. "It's easier being in a smaller pool of higher-quality people," says Chong, 37, just before a recent coffee date arranged through LawDate. "I like the fact that [LawDate]--because it's professional--is already pre-sorted."

Chong complains that other dating sites can either be too broad or deliver only race-targeted candidates.

There's also the cost factor: On LawDate prices start around $20 a month to contact the people listed (anyone can look at listings for free). Compared to the starting rates for one month at Match (about $30) and eHarmony (about $60), LawDate can seem like a bargain. (All three sites offer lower prices when customers purchase more months.)

Also, the profiles on LawDate are tailored for attorneys, prompting users to identify things such as work schedules, preferred practice areas, and even custody arrangements when children are involved. Plus, at monthly gatherings, LawDate users can mingle. For some, this offline element is particularly appealing.

"Only a lawyer could talk about a bar scene being 'focused,' " says Adrienne Jenkins, a 31-year-old Los Angeles attorney who recently joined about 50 people at a LawDate gathering at Chaya Brasserie in Beverly Hills. Jenkins (also a pseudonym) adds that the people attending "knew what they were going there for" and were "fluid and natural."

Still, even as LawDate expands beyond its 1,174 members and into the San Francisco Bay area this quarter, it is tiny compared to the international sites (Match has 15 million profiles, and eHarmony claims 20 million registered users). And there may be competition overseas: England-based AttorneyDating.com says it has California members. (Another site, LawyersinLove.com has had no discernible Web traffic for nearly two years, according to the Internet-tracking site Alexa.com.)

Of course, there's always the danger of imposters faking their way onto LawDate, which has each user certify that he or she is a lawyer only by checking a box. But as Chong points out, risk is innate in online dating, and you can always verify someone's status with the State Bar. (Or, just ask your target to explain the Palsgraf case.)

"Liars and gold diggers are some of the numerous things you'll have to work out for yourself," she says. "It's just that [with LawDate] you have a narrower pool of people to work through."

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