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Philip Thomas of Mississippi Litigation Review & Commentary: LexBlog Q&A

Mississippi attorney Philip Thomas"If someone is interested in what is going on in civil litigation in Mississippi, they are going to find their way to my blog."

Mississippi personal injury attorney Philip Thomas isn’t bragging when he says that. He’s simply stating the facts of how his blog, Mississippi Litigation Review & Commentary, has become a go-to resource for civil litigation issues in his state — and beyond.

Philip started blogging because he realized that with the decline of print media, blogs would become a growing source of news, and consequently the blogs’ authors would achieve a higher profile.

He’s already seen that happen with his own blog, when Forbes ran an article based primarily on information originally reported on Philip’s blog.

"I discussed the story with the Forbes writer before it ran and he told me that he learned about it from my blog and complimented all the information about the company that I posted," Philip said.

We caught up with Philip for this LexBlog Q&A to find out more about why he started blogging and what’s in his Google Reader.

See our email exchange with Philip after the jump.

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

Philip Thomas: The main reason was that I thought that I would enjoy it. Although I thought that writing a good blog would have some indirect benefits to my practice, I would not have done it if I did not think that I would enjoy it. And I have. I also recognized that with print media on the decline and newspapers getting smaller, blogs are a growing source of news for the public. This means increased visibility for the people who are writing blogs.

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

Philip Thomas: I have had so many people compliment the blog, including many people who are not attorneys. But the most rewarding thing is the fact that last week Forbes ran an article about an investment fraud scam involving a company called A&O Life Funds. Forbes discovered the story from my blog. I discussed the story with the Forbes writer before it ran and he told me that he learned about it from my blog and complimented all the information about the company that I posted. Most of the information in the Forbes article was originally reported my blog.

As far as challenging, the amount of time that I devote to the blog has been a challenge at times. But since I enjoy the work, it has not been something that I mind.

Lisa Kennelly: Do you ever struggle to come up with ideas for posts, and if so, how do you get inspired?

Philip Thomas: So far, ideas for posts has not been a problem at all. We’ve had a lot going on in the legal system in Mississippi in the last year and our governor is trying to position himself for a presidential run. I have more ideas than time to write posts.

Lisa Kennelly: Do you feel there is a blogging community in Mississippi? Do you feel having a blog sets you apart from other attorneys in your state or area?

Philip Thomas: There is a blogging community in Mississippi, but it is not very big. Some of the best blogs are not written by attorneys, but they often cover legal-related issues.

Having a blog helps with my visibility in the state legal community. If someone is interested in what is going on in civil litigation in Mississippi, they are going to find their way to my blog. If I can keep it up for several years, there will be a huge amount of content on the blog on topics such as jury verdicts that will be valuable to attorneys and unavailable from other sources.

Lisa Kennelly: What are some of your favorite blogs to read/follow, and why?

Philip Thomas: I currently subscribe to thirty-five blogs on my Google Reader. My favorites are blogs focused on Mississippi: Ya’ll Politics, Jackson Jambalaya and Ipse Blogit. Our print media in Mississippi is not real good right now, so these local blogs fill in the gaps in stories that would have been covered by the print media ten years ago.

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