Patti Spencer of Pennsylvania Fiduciary Litigation: LexBlog Q & A

Trusts and estates attorney Patti Spencer discovered blogging as she was researching a new marketing plan for her firm, the Spencer Law Firm, last year. In her research, she came to the conclusion that the potential benefits were too great to pass up.

"I decided to give it a try, figuring it was a great adjunct to my education-based marketing and would give me the opportunity to reach my target audience," Patti says.

The nationally recognized trust & estates attorney, expert witness and author now blogs at the Pennsylvania Fiduciary Litigation blog, using it as an informative and educational source.

"Like any teaching, you have to really know your stuff to help others," Patti says. "Regular blog posts keep me on my toes and up to date with the latest developments in my field."

We caught up with Patti via email for this LexBlog Q&A. Read on for more on her experiences with blogging and how she feels it gives her an advantage over other law firms.

See our e-mail exchange with Patti (after the jump).

Lisa Kennelly: Why did you decide to start a blog?

Patti Spencer: In 2008 I created, with the help of Margaret Grisdela, President of Legal Expert Connections, Inc., a new marketing plan for Spencer Law Firm. We created a new website and began implementing action steps to market my services as an expert witness in trusts and estates matters as well as raise awareness about our core businesses of estate planning and trust and estate administration. In the course of learning about law firm marketing, I discovered blogging. I read lots about it and was most impressed with the information available and the blogs created by LexBlog. I decided to give it a try, figuring it was a great adjunct to my education-based marketing and would give me the opportunity to reach my target audience.

Lisa Kennelly: What have you learned about blogging that you didn’t foresee?

Patti Spencer: I have found that most readers do not look at older posts. It seems they read what you put up today, and if they like it, may subscribe to your feed, but the prior posts don’t get much attention.  Prior posts are indexed by search engines and that helps bring traffic to your blog, but I am disappointed that so much great information is not accessed by readers.

Lisa Kennelly: What has been most rewarding about blogging? What has been most challenging?

Patti Spencer: Like any teaching, you have to really know your stuff to help others. Regular blog posts keep me on my toes and up to date with the latest developments in my field. It can be challenging to post something important, interesting, accurate and readable. 

Lisa Kennelly: What has the response been to your blog from clients, other lawyers, or anyone else?

Patti Spencer: I have received many favorable comments about my blog. Most importantly, I have made contacts with clients and other attorneys who have retained me to be an expert witness in fiduciary matters. 

Lisa Kennelly: Do you feel blogging gives you an advantage over other lawyers with a similar practice who do not blog?

Patti Spencer: Blogging dramatically increases my firm’s visibility on the web and this is a definite advantage.  It also is a very cost-effective way of distributing new information and keeping my name “top of mind” in the target audience. Law practice is changing. Lavishly appointed brick and mortar offices with layers of staff are struggling. The information exchange and relations built on the internet are becoming the backbone of the business. Blogging is an excellent way to be a leader in that evolution.