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Ellen Simon of Employee Rights Post: LexBlog Q&A

Employment Attorney Ellen SimonEllen Simon is one of the most well-renowned employment and civil rights lawyers in the U.S., with 25 years of litigation experience and numerous media appearances as a legal analyst under her belt.

As an attorney, she prides herself on being able to help people and make a difference – two things she’s found that her blog, Employee Rights Post, enables as well.

"I have had feedback from people who have thanked me for the help and advice they have gotten from reading the articles," Ellen says. "Some became clients and some just wrote me to thank me for the help and information. It’s been very gratifying."

On the blog, she offers a national perspective on discrimination laws and employee rights, staying on top on the latest issues in her field while also providing a unique perspective that, as she frequently hears from lawyers and readers, is hard to find anywhere else.

We caught up with Ellen for this LexBlog Q&A to discuss more about the sort of feedback she hears and how her blog gives her a place to share her take on developments in the law.

See our email exchange with Ellen, after the jump.

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

Ellen Simon: I have been devoted to civil rights and employee rights for over thirty years. As part of my normal routine, I try to stay current on the law.

I have had more time to do that in the past few years, and was constantly reading about interesting decisions, important verdicts, and new legislation that was good news for employee rights and civil rights.

I would read some great victory for an employee and think: "This is really significant. I wonder how many of the other plaintiffs’ lawyers know about this? What would be a good way to share the historical perspective and pass on the information?”

Several people suggested that I start a blog, and so I started to look into it. One of the things I found is that while there many lawyers providing information from the management perspective, there were few who were writing blogs for employees and I don’t think that anyone was writing a blog devoted to discrimination laws and employee rights with a national perspective.

It seemed to me that a blog would be a good way to help employees who were in need of advice about their workplace and civil rights. At the same time, I could also help convey information to lawyers who represent employees about important developments in the law. That’s how it came about.

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

Ellen Simon: It’s very rewarding that thousands of people are getting useful information from blog. The challenge is that it’s quite time consuming to do the research and the writing.

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

Ellen Simon: The response is very positive, and it generally comes from people who read the blog and appreciate the advice.

I have had feedback from people who have thanked me for the help and advice they have gotten from reading the articles. Some became clients and some just wrote me to thank me for the help and information. It’s been very gratifying. I try and write the blog in a way that will be helpful to lawyers as well as non-lawyers. The feedback from lawyers has also been very positive.

Lisa Kennelly: How do you come up with ideas for blog posts, and do you ever get writer’s block?

Ellen Simon: I constantly monitor whatever information may be available including other blogs, news about court opinions, news about verdicts and what’s happening on the legislative front. I pick a story that I think is interesting and significant. I never have trouble finding a story.

Lisa Kennelly: Your blog posts are very dynamic, with lots of images. What is the inspiration to do your posts this way, and where do you find your images?

Ellen Simon: Finding the images is fun. I always enjoy figuring out the best visual graphics and exhibits for trial and finding images for the blog is really enjoyable in a similar way.

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Or, see our full list of legal blog interviews.