It’s been all of two days since I’ve written about the launch of an online network for lawyers, and already here’s another. Making its debut today is Foxwordy, which calls itself “the first private social network for lawyers.”

Uh-oh, here we go again. Regular readers may remember the post I wrote when wireLawyer launched and claimed to be the “first online professional network for the legal community.” It wasn’t and I pointed that out.

Now Foxwordy makes a slightly different claim — not that it’s the first social network for lawyers, but that it is the first private social network. I was not clear what that meant, so I asked Mark Pasetsky, Foxwordy’s public relations director:

Thank you for your question. It’s the first “private” social network for lawyers as it’s invite only. And, Foxwordy has various features that are designed to facilitate and enable members to share and exchange information selectively or anonymously.

Well, sorry Foxwordy, but even by your own definition, you are not the first invitation-only social network for lawyers. Legal OnRamp launched as an invitation-only network way back in 2008.

So what is different about Foxwordy? I haven’t received my invitation yet, so I can’t say for sure. But here is what the announcement I received described as its key features:

Enhanced, Private Collaboration: Foxwordy’s invitation-only model brings together relevant top-tier colleagues across the legal market to effectively collaborate in real-time and allows them to share mission-critical knowledge on a private social-networking platform.

Reputation Enhancement: On Foxwordy, lawyers grow their reputations based on the nature of their interactions with their peers. This puts lawyers in control of their own reputation and gives them a fresh alternative to the often-arbitrary five-star ratings on a multitude of consumer sites.

New Opportunities: Through Foxwordy, legal professionals can expand their relevant network by building relationships with fellow lawyers that lead to a variety of new business and career opportunities.

If this interests you, you can request an invitation at the Foxwordy site. An invitation gets you a three-month free membership, after which, presumably, there will be a fee.

Foxworthy was started by Monica Zent, a Silicon Valley lawyer whose firm provides outside corporate counsel services. The Foxwordy blog features a post by Zent introducing Foxworthy and explaining why she started it.

Photo of Bob Ambrogi Bob Ambrogi

Bob is a lawyer, veteran legal journalist, and award-winning blogger and podcaster. In 2011, he was named to the inaugural Fastcase 50, honoring “the law’s smartest, most courageous innovators, techies, visionaries and leaders.” Earlier in his career, he was editor-in-chief of several legal publications, including The National Law Journal, and editorial director of ALM’s Litigation Services Division.