Daniel Zimberoff of Northwest Condo & HOA Law Blog: LexBlog Q&A
If you need proof of how a blog can have a far-reaching effect, look no further than Northwest construction defect attorney Daniel Zimberoff of Barker Martin.
Through posts on his firm's Northwest Condo & HOA Law Blog, he heard from the aide to a Congressman all the way across the country in Tennessee after constituents responded to Dan's blog post on a piece of proposed federal legislation regarding foreclosures and homeowner association rights.
"Some of his constituents had cut and pasted portions of our blog, and when the staffer conducted a Google search, our post popped up," Dan says. "The attorney and I discussed the bill for about 30 minutes. As I hung up the phone, I was taken aback by the extent to which blogging influences not only business, but politics."
In the year and a half Dan has been blogging, this type of reaction and response has continued to impress him and validate his commitment to the blog.
We caught up with Dan for this LexBlog Q&A to talk more about the impact of his blog and where he finds inspiration in the blogosphere.
See our e-mail exchange with Dan (after the jump).
Lisa Kennelly: Why did you decide to start a blog?
Daniel Zimberoff: Although at first I was skeptical that a blog would be practical for a law firm (due to attorney-client formation, confidentiality and other issues), once I conducted a bit of research and saw the number of legal blogs on the Net, I was sold on the concept. I'm unabashed to say my primary reason was marketing and business development.
Lisa Kennelly: What has been most rewarding about blogging?
Daniel Zimberoff: Far and away, the responses. I've been doing this for almost a year and a half and am still amazed at the number and variety of comments and email queries. We receive responses from all over the country. For example, I wrote one post involving a piece of proposed federal legislation regarding foreclosures and homeowner association rights. In the post, I asked readers to contact their congressmen to voice their concern over a particular provision of the bill. Less than 48 hours later, I received an email from a congressional staff attorney for a Congressman on the other side of the country, in Tennessee, seeking more information on our concerns. Some of his constituents had cut and pasted portions of our blog, and when the staffer conducted a Google search, our post popped up. The attorney and I discussed the bill for about 30 minutes. As I hung up the phone, I was taken back by the extent to which blogging influences not only business, but politics.
Lisa Kennelly: What has been most challenging?
Daniel Zimberoff: Finding time to blog. With handling a diverse case load, running a business and trying to balance a family life, sometimes I simply do not make time to blog. However, when I am able to wedge it into my schedule, I always feel blogging was a productive use of my time.
Lisa Kennelly: What has the response to your blog been from clients, other attorneys, or anyone else?
Daniel Zimberoff: The response has been overwhelmingly positive. I have received comments from potential clients, new clients, former clients, industry people and even competitors (I'm glad our direct competitors haven't figured it out yet!).
Lisa Kennelly: What are some other construction or any kind of law blogs that you read, and why do you enjoy them?
Daniel Zimberoff: I have RSS feeds for: HOA Legislate; Colorado Homeowners Association Law; Real Estate and Construction Law Blog; Virginia Condominium & Homeowners' Association Law Blog. They are all homeowner association legal blog sites. That's about all the time I have to review. The bloggers are efficient and informative. I often quote these bloggers.
Lisa Kennelly: What do you do when you get "writer's block" and how do you get inspired for your blog posts?
Daniel Zimberoff: I'll surf my list RSS of blogs or even simply conduct a blogsearch.google search on a term or topical issue to see what other people are saying. I'll either be inspired to write something original, or comment on someone else's post. That is one of the true benefits of blogging, it's okay to copy what others are saying — even encouraged to do so — as long as you attribute the original post and then add a comment or two of your own as a value-add statement.
Read through and enter the discussion with the form at the end
