One of the interesting things about blogging is that even lawyers who work international and high-profile cases can see its impact right in their own backyard.
New York-based litigator William Ruskin, a member of AmLaw 200 firm Epstein Becker Green‘s Litigation, Real Estate, and Health Care and Life Sciences practices, blogs at the Toxic Tort Litigation Blog about news and trends in products liability and toxic tort actions.
He started blogging to capture the immediacy of news and alerts in his field.
"I first became interested in blogging when I came to understand that the process would free me of the bureaucratic process of preparing client alerts that had to be vetted by the Firm and the marketing department before they were issued," Bill says. "Often, the subject of the alert was out-of-date by the time it left the firm."
What he didn’t expect going in was that his work would lead him to start a second blog, this one for a group of local newspapers in his home in Fairfield County, Connecticut. There, Bill touches on his experience with environmental law to write about Health, Safety and the Environment.
This blog, too, is helping expand his name and reach.
"I am hearing from friends and neighbors that they read these blog posts because they deal with southern Connecticut issues, not national issues, and are tied to the local print media as part of its blog forum web page," Bill says.
We reached out to Bill for this LexBlog Q&A to discuss more about his two blogs and what he enjoys about blogging.
See our email exchange with Bill, after the jump.
Lisa Kennelly: Why did you first decide to get involved in blogging?
Bill Ruskin: I first became interested in blogging when I came to understand that the process would free me of the bureaucratic process of preparing client alerts that had to be vetted by the Firm and the marketing department before they were issued. Often, the subject of the alert was out-of-date by the time it left the firm.
Lisa Kennelly: What has been most challenging?
Bill Ruskin: Having a blog is like having an infant–they both require constant care and feeding. It is an enormous responsibility! As a professional, I fear irrelevance more than anything else. Thus, I want to provide timely, informative material in my blog that will be of interest to my readers. At the same time, I have not been able to let my hair down and write the short pithy posts — a writing style that many successful bloggers have mastered. There is too much "careful" and not enough "care-free" in my blogging.
Lisa Kennelly: What has been most rewarding?
Bill Ruskin: Most rewarding has been the joy that comes from seeing a post spring off the keyboard and into the blogosphere. There is an immediacy about blogging that I am still acclimating to.
Lisa Kennelly: What have you learned about blogging that you didn’t expect?
Bill Ruskin: I did not expect to start a second blog. This second blog is for the local Connecticut newspapers in Fairfield County, which are owned by Hearst. I write on Health, Safety and the Environment. This blog is actually more fun to write because I don’t have to be the lawyer all the time, only a concerned neighbor or citizen. I am getting good buzz from this effort.
Lisa Kennelly: When you say you are getting good buzz from your other blog, can you give some examples of response to it?
Bill Ruskin: I am hearing from friends and neighbors that they read these blog posts because they deal with southern Connecticut issues, not national issues, and are tied to the local print media as part of its blog forum web page.
Lisa Kennelly: Similarly, what kind of response or reaction have you gotten to the Toxic Tort Litigation blog from clients or other lawyers at your firm or elsewhere?
Bill Ruskin: People know I am writing it, but there is less reaction. Because my clients’ concerns are specific and the blog’s focus is very broad, it is difficult to "hit" on a specific client’s concerns or interests. When I have linked to a specific individual or group and then emailed that individual or group that I have done so, the responses have been positive. I analogize the toxic tort blog to moderating a professional conference with a small audience. I aspire to make that audience larger. Unlike some bloggers who can blog every day or who have minions who can assist in writing their posts, I have been a solo act. It takes me on average 60-90 minutes (or longer) to prepare a strong post–with research, links, categories, tags and images. If I could get that down to 30-40 minutes, I do more posting.
Lisa Kennelly: What advice would you give to a lawyer thinking about starting to blog?
Bill Ruskin: Go with Lexblog. They’re the best! They provide good training, loads of encouragement and strong technical support. I mean it!
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