Five Questions: Kristie Prinz of the Prinz Law Office
Today LexBlog continues our “Five Questions” feature, providing glimpses into the minds of bloggers turning heads in their respective industries. This week, we spoke with Kristie Prinz of the Prinz Law Office.
1. LexBlog: You recently gave a presentation on blog law developments before the State Bar of California Business Section Cyberspace Committee. How do you stay abreast of the latest developments in the blogosphere?
Kristie Prinz: Well, I use the Bloglines RSS feeder everyday and try to scan through everything that’s come through over the last 24 hours. I also do [Internet] searches sometimes, to see what else is coming up that isn’t showing up in the RSS feeder.
2. LexBlog:
You’ve been quoted in a range of articles from various publications. What have you done to set yourself apart from other lawyers that makes newspapers want to use you as a source?
Kristie Prinz: I’ve really focused from day one on developing an Internet presence. I had this idea when my [previous] firm fell apart and I ended up starting my [own firm] that what sets a firm apart from any other was its overall presence. And I started really focusing on what I could do online to build the firm’s reputation. What’s happened over a period of time is, people are finding me [and] media are finding me through all the things I’m doing on the Internet. The blog is just one part of what I’m doing; in addition to that, I’ve really focused on putting a lot of content on my website. I write a column every week and have those columns posted, and I’ve really been active doing speaking engagements and articles. All of that information is aggregated on my website, and it seems over a period of time what’s happened is people are finding me on the Internet and calling me up. That’s how I got my CNN interview. I’ve been called by Dow Jones multiple times now, [and] I have some other things coming up that people [who] found me on the Internet have offered to me. Focusing on the Internet has started to generate the media attention that, ideally, anyone with a small business would want.
3. LexBlog: You noted after the Bay Area Blawgers event that your blog differed from some of your colleagues in that yours has “been more educational in nature than pushing a particular perspective or agenda.” Do you think that contributed to helping you stand out from other bloggers?
Kristie Prinz: I think the fact that my blog is unique has helped set me apart more than anything else. When I started and when I came up with the idea for a biotech blog, there were really no biotech blogs out there whatsoever. There’s a few now, but there’s still not that many. So I think that’s the first and foremost thing that’s made me stand out from other bloggers. I think people read my blog because it focuses on the different cutting edge issues in the biosphere. I don’t know how much they come to it simply because its more informative than perhaps someone else’s….it’s possible, but I think it’s more just the overall content and the subject matter that people who read my blog come to the blog for. And I think that the fact that that’s unique from other people’s blogs is ultimately what sets me apart.
4. LexBlog: Legally speaking, it seems that blogging is still a bit of a grey area. In the future, do you see the laws related to blogging becoming more defined, or will it be something that sooner or later will simply inundate the web to the point where it is uncontrollable?
Kristie Prinz:
Well, I hope that no one tries to regulate them that much. One of the issues, of course, with the blogosphere right now is the fact that some state ethics boards have been trying to regulate lawyers’ blogs. And hopefully that’s not a trend that’s going to continue. Hopefully, blogging is going to be treated as a journalistic activity, and I think news, generally, is moving to the web. So hopefully the First Amendment protections will continue to be upheld when it comes to the blogosphere, and hopefully there won’t be a lot of regulation in the future.
5. LexBlog:You mentioned a couple of months ago that you still had some ground to cover before you could reach where you aspire to be with the blog. Three months later, are you there yet?
Kristie Prinz: I’m getting there. I would like to get to the point where I always have time to post a couple times a day, and I don’t always have that time with all the other things I’m doing. Maybe that’s a good thing, maybe it’s a bad thing. [But] I think it would be better if I had more time to post. I’m always collecting good material…I just don’t always have time to post it. That’s the one regret I have with respect to the blog. But, a lot of times what’s keeping me from posting is another speaking engagement or another interview with a reporter or something like that. So from that standpoint, I’m glad I’m getting pulled away from the blog for those reasons. It’s just an ongoing juggling act with time.
Kristie Prinz operates her own intellectual property law firm out of Los Gatos, California. She also maintains the California Biotech Law Blog.