Law Blawgs: Do You Want a Lawyer Who Blogs?

Posted on November 9, 2005

An article in the Wisconsin Technology Network says use of the term "blawg" is on the rise in law firms. However, the article says legal blogs both attract and turn off potential clients.

A lot of clients would be impressed with an attorney who has an advanced level of computer literacy, and who is comfortable enough with his or herself to step out into the public arena.

But other clients wouldn't go near a lawyer who blogs. Part of the hesitation, said Ann Althouse, a law professor at University of Wisconsin - Madison, is that while blogs are perfect tools for networking and community building, some would see them as carelessness. Althouse created a blawg in January 2004, althouse.blogspot.com. She said that her "moving average" was 9,000 a day over the last 30 days.

"There are some special problems that working lawyers have," Althouse said. "It can be a way to get clients and that's something that could worry clients. They might think you're someone who could do something unpredictable."

"Most of the time people want a lawyer who's conventional and won't go to a lawyer who seems goofy," she said.

It sounds like a confusing time for lawyers as they try and figure out whether or not they should blog. The article points to Blawg, a legal blog potal and search tool, as well as several law blogs like VoteLaw.

There are also directories of law blogs online, such as LawProffesorBlogs.com, a network of legal blogs edited primarily by law professors. The ABA Journal also has a law blog directory called the ABC Journal Blawg Directory.

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