Many lawyers find it difficult to maintain blogs amid hectic schedules, but Chicago personal injury attorney Jonathan Rosenfeld believes blogging is a good opportunity to cultivate both his practice and his social network; and the success of both his blogs, Nursing Homes Abuse Blog and Child Injury Laws Blog, are testaments to Rosenfeld’s professional growth.
"(Blogging) has been the most important professional tool I’ve had as a lawyer," said Rosenfeld. "It (has) opened the door for a lot of opportunities that I wouldn’t have had without it."
In 2007, Rosenfeld started the Nursing Homes Abuse Blog while practicing with Chicago firm Strellis & Field. The popular blog helped establish Rosenfeld as a nationally-recognized legal expert on elderly care and was the catalyst for a busy 2010 in which Rosenfeld started his own firm, Rosenfeld Injury Law, and tested the blogging waters at the opposite end of the life spectrum with the creation of the Child Injury Laws Blog.
"There are a lot of similarities between children and infants and the elderly," said Rosenfeld. "They are all very vulnerable groups, and I represented a lot of children at the time and saw a big crossover that I wanted to engage as well."
While the topics of Rosenfeld’s blogs draw similarities, it is his blogging abilities that set him apart from other personal injury attorneys.
"For some reason, personal injury law tends to attract people who are more aggressive or more entrepreneurial," Rosenfeld said. "It’s part of the business and the one thing you have to do is differentiate yourself in some respect and there are only so many different things you can do. When you have the opportunity to blog, it translates a lot about who you are not just a lawyer, but as a person."
A consummate professional by nature, Rosenfeld has found both personal and professional growth through blogging, as he has become a more active and informed reader with a broadened perspective.
"Before blogging, there was no way that I was actively engaged in areas of law that I am practicing now," said Rosenfeld. "When you’re maintaining a blog and looking for material all the time you’re reading more material and on a more regular basis."
Creating original, concise and informative posts almost daily, Rosenfeld starts his workday with less than an hour of blogging. Sticking to a strict schedule allows him to focus the rest of his day on building his practice.
"It comes down to where your priorities are and it almost (becomes) second nature," Rosenfeld said. "I have found that people who are really interested in blogging have their finger (on) the pulse of new developments particular to their area of law."
Having content posted on the important developments in personal injury law relative to children and the elderly is what makes Rosenfeld’s blogs popular with readers, as he regularly receives calls from not only clients, but readers with various legal questions and inquiries.
"The people who tend to contact me are the people who have read my blog(s) and have done a lot of research themselves before they initiated contact," Rosenfeld said.
Rosenfeld admits that blogging is a lot of work, but staying committed makes things come together in the long run. His advice to bloggers is to remember that blogging is a process and patience is essential for success.
"You have to be patient and work hard and try to be yourself," said Rosenfeld. "Sometimes it can be frustrating, but you’re going to improve. It takes a while to find your voice and where you’re at, but it comes."
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