Real Lawyers Have Blogs : Law Blogs, Blawgs, Law Firm Marketing

With the number of blogs we've produced over the past six years it's somewhat rare now that we launch a blog in a completely new area of law. Well, we have one this week and it is awesome. Sheppard Mullin's Law of the Level, a blog on video game law, is one of four blogs to launch this week.

• Law of the Level is published by the lawyers and attorneys at Sheppard Mullin. This is one of many blogs the AmLaw firm has done with LexBlog. This one covers the advertising, intellectual property, litigation and patents surrounding video games.
• Chicago attorney John Steele of The Steele Law Firm authors the Family Law Lifeline, covering topics that include adultery, marriage, alimony, mediation and child custody and support.
• The Energy & Environmental Law Blog is updated by professionals at Vorys, a law firm with offices all over the country. This blog provides news and breaking legal developments involving the crude oil and natural gas industries, alternative and renewable energy resources, and the latest environmental issues.
• Myrtle Beach attorney Russell W. Hall III authors the South Carolina Adoption Law Blog. He has spent the past three years narrowing his law practice from a general practice to an adoption law practice. His practice is located in Horry County along the northern coast of South Carolina
• On top of the four blogs, we also launched a site for Burgess Consulting, which offers services in strategic planning, organization structure, leadership and management development and team interactions.

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I'm heading down to Los Angeles today for Incisive Media's LegalTech West Coast conference. Crazy as it sounds I am blogging this from 38,000 feet on free WiFi on a Virgin America flight from Seattle to Los Angeles.

I'll be part of a panel tomorrow, June 25, from 2:15-3:15 p.m.: What is Twitter and How Can I Use It? I will be arriving in LA around 3 p.m. today, so if anyone wants to get together to chat about blogging, social media, or just to get together for beers, don't hesitate to call my cell, 206 321 3627, or drop me an email. If anyone is getting together dinner tonight and has an extra chair, I'd welcome the company.

As to tomorrow's Twitter session Monica Bay, the editor-in-chief of Law Technology News, will be moderating, and the other speakers will be LexThink founder and "Innovational speaker" Matt Homann, California appellate and technology lawyer and blogger Denise M. Howell, and Baker Hostetler associate Nina K. Goldberg.

LegalTech New York was a great time earlier this year. As for that conference, you can follow other conference attendees on Twitter over at LexTweet. If you're attending LegalTech and not in the Twitter feed, let me, @kevinokeefe or @lexblogsupport know and we'll add you in.

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This comes in a little later as opposed to on the usual Friday afternoon as I made the drive out from Montana on Friday and spent some time with the rest of the LexBlog crew over the weekend. The total for last week came to five. Drop in and leave a comment for some of these new bloggers.

• Visual Legal Persuasion is a blog for legal professionals looking for a competitive advantage in courtroom litigation through effective persuasion tools and methods. It is written by the professionals at Scene Systems, a leading provider of forensic animation and trial graphics.
• The Danko Law Firm's second blog, California Personal Injury Law Case Notes, is written by San Mateo attorneys Kristine Meredith and Mike Danko. Topics covered on this blog include brain and burn injuries, legal verdics, spinal injuries and other information surrounding the law and rights of accident victims.
• The OSHA Law Blog, which provides insight and commentary on occupational safety and health issues, is written by Washingtdon, DC lawyer Brad Hammock of Jackson Lewis. He practices exclusively in the safety and health area, and is a nationally recognized expert on occupational safety and health law.
• Real Estate Legal Update is yet another blog published by AmLaw 200 firm Reed Smith, this one providing commentary on investment property, corporate real estate issues and property development.
• Like Reed Smith, fellow AmLaw 200 firm Sheppard Mullin has added another publication to its already crowded stable of blogs. FDA Law Update has has news on current issues affected FDA-regulated companies.

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One of the reasons the legal profession lags on the innovation front is the manner in which many legal conferences are put together.

• Sponsor stranglehold. Conferences understandably take huge sponsorship monies from the well entrenched dinosaurs of the legal industry. Two come to mind. This results in conference coordinators being hesitant to invite speakers who talk openly about products and services, sponsors bumping previously invited speakers they don't like from conference agendas, and sponsors putting their own employees who have little domain expertise on panels.
• Inane rules prohibiting 'consultants and vendors' who often have the most domain expertise and follow innovative trends from speaking. It's understandable you want to prevent selling from the podium. But good companies who are truly looking to serve the legal profession don't do that. If you get a company that's going to have a stooge tout their service, don't invite them back. They're also going to be crucified for you by audience members using Twitter.
• Member perks and politics. 'Gee we have this good speaker with excellent domain expertise presenting, let's put some members of the association on the panel for all they have done for the association.' Politics are everywhere in organizations. But why 'dumb down' a panel for legal professionals paying thousands in tuition and travel monies to attend your conference? Why make it difficult for a panelist with industry expertise to give the most valuable presentation? Especially if the presenter is picking up their own travel expenses to help you and your membership.
• Law firm participation at all cost. 'We need to get some lawyers and law firm personnel on the panel to round it out.' Legal professionals are lemmings who follow each other, even if it means off a cliff. Limiting a presentation to someone from outside a law firm with a different perspective and sees the successes of innovative law firms can be a great thing.

There are some great legal conferences out there. I've had the honor of speaking at them, some within the last couple months. But I've personally experienced the above problems on numerous occasions over the last six years. The last three for conferences coming up this summer and fall.

Take the easy way out and call me a prima donna. But I've wanted to be a lawyer all my life. I practiced law for 17 years driven by one question, 'How can we help more people?' It pains me to see our legal profession being held in such low esteem by the public. For lawyers to be the butt of jokes for being so self centered and lagging in innovation is not something the proud in our profession should take lying down.

I am not alone in my feelings. I talk with other presenters who feel the same way. We know the organizations who honorably stand for offering the best at their association's legal conferences. We also know the associations who place other interests first at their conferences.

Sure, as presenters with a company we know we advance our positions as thought leaders in our field by speaking at your conferences. We all know that's in the best interests of our companies. But, believe it or not, as leaders of honorable companies built on a mission of service, we're going to put the interests of your attendees first.

We can do better as a profession. One place it can start is with legal conferences and their sponsors. Take your obligation to serve our legal profession, the legal professionals it employs, and the public we serve seriously. It's possible to serve others and make a buck.

Let's put petty issues aside and propel the legal profession forward in a positive and noble way. We owe to ourselves and the public at large.

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The grand total for launches this week swells all the way to 8. We have blogs on a wide range of topics, from first time bloggers, to existing clients and even one from LexBlog's own editorial staff. So, if you're into news from the Executive Branch of our government, health care reform or trial law, have a look at these new blogs.

• The Executive Office Policy Blog is written by Jared Sulzdorf, a political science major at the University of Montana and a member of LexBlog's editorial staff. So, if you're looking for content from someone with extensive knowledge on American politics, public administration, international relations, and comparative politics; it's definitely worth subscribing and seeing what he has to offer.
• Health Care Law Reform is published by Washington, DC lawyers Joel Michaels, Karen Sealander and Eric Zimmerman of McDermott Will & Emory. The blog provides timely updates on U.S. health care law developments.
• The Shriver Brief is produced by professionals at the Sargent Shriver National Center for Poverty Law. Topics covered on the blog, which focuses on poverty law, include criminal reentry, financial protection and health care reform.
• For detailed and relevant discussion regarding DUI and related charges in Pennsylvania, it's worth checking out the Pennsylvania DUI Blog. The blog is authored by attorneys at Harrisburg law firm The McShane Firm.
• With quite a title, the Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus Blog is yet another publication brought to you by the food safety lawyers at Marler Clark. This blog offers surveilliance and analysis on MRSA news and outbreaks.
• The Aging Options Blog is written by Rajiv Nagaich, a premier Northwest elder law and estate planning attorney. Rajiv is an expert on Medicare, Medicaid, Nursing Homes and Long Term car. 
• Waco attorney Craig Cherry of Haley & Olson, updates the Texas Trial law Advocate, a blog current topics and developments in personal injury, product liability, business litigation and civil trial practice.
• Last but not least we have the Sophisticated Litigation Support Blog. This blog is authored by professionals at Teris, a full-service litigation support solution provider. The blog offers insight and commentary on electronic discovery digital forensics and legal support services.

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Just two more posts before the weekend. As just about everyone is out of the office, enjoy taking a look at these new blogs over the weekend. There's four in total this week with half of those four coming from firms already publishing blogs.

• Asset Protection Law Journal is written by Cleveland lawyer Kenneth Laino of Schneider, Smeltz, Ranney & LaFond. Topics covered on the blog include asset protection strategies, the benefits of asset protection and charging order.
• The Policyholder Perspective is part of Reed Smith's growing stable of blogs. This blog provides updates and thoughts on the full range of insurance coverage issues affecting commercial policyholders.
• The Northwest Indian Law & Business Advisor is authored by Debora Juarez, Gabriel Galanda, Claire Hur, Anthony Broadman, James Robenalt and William Aloe – all members of the Indian Law & Gaming Practice Group at Williams Kastner.
• The Tennessee Insurance Litigation Blog offers legal insights on insurance litigation in Tennessee from a pair of attorneys on both sides of the discussion. Brandon McWherter, of Gilbert Russell McWherter PLC, provides the policyholder's perspective. Parks T. Chastaino of Brewer, Krause, Brooks, Chastain & Burrow, PLLC, offers the insurance company's perspective.

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Of LexBlog's more than 600 law blogs, a portion are non-profit legal services clients that LexBlog works with on a pro bono basis. One of our new clients we're currently working with is Washington State CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates), donating our blog design, development, hosting and consulting fees. A CASA is a volunteer appointed by the court to advocate for the best interests of abused and neglected children in dependency court.

For those in Seattle, there's a free event tonight (June 3) to raise funds for CASA. TERIS, a Seattle-based litigation support firm, is hosting a Casino Night and Poker Tournament at the Seattle Sheraton (1400 6th Ave in downtown Seattle). 

The event is free to the legal and business community. In addition to traditional casino-type games such as roulette, blackjack and craps, the event will feature a drawing of prizes including an all-expense paid weekend getaway, helicopter tour of Seattle and a fishing excursion for two on the Washington coast.

If you're in the area, it's worth stopping by if you can, for free food and games and supporting a great cause. Hope to see some of you there.

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After a couple weeks without one of these posts due to graduation weekend and a Memorial Day trip to Indianapolis, we're back. So, we're going to bunch all of the launches from the last three business weeks into one posts. Have a look.

• Ahead of Schedule focuses on legal matters critical to the construction industry, offering insights, analysis, tips and updates regarding the law of project development, design and construction. It is published by AmLaw 200 firm Stoel Rives.
• Best Practices Construction Law is obviously another construction law blog, this one published by Nashville lawyer Matthew DeVries of Smith Cashion & Orr PLC. The blog explains how to use experience, knowledge and technology to ensure success in the construction industry.
• USA Inbound Acquisitions & Investments Blog is published by William Newman and John Howell, attorneys with Sullivan & Worcester. The blog provides commentary on mergers, acquisitions and investments by foreign businesses.
• Clostridium difficile Blog is another publication added to the already large stable of Marler Clark food safety blogs. This blog provides surveilliance and analysis on clostridium difficile news and outbreaks.
• Dallas Divorce Law Blog, written by Texas attorneys Michelle May O'Neil and Nathan Anderson, provides commentary on family law matters in Dallas and the entire state of Texas.
• Lawyers and attorneys of New York law firm Grais & Ellsworth LLP maintain the ABS Investor Advocate blog. Grais & Ellsworth LLP is a litigation boutique that represents investors in asset-backed securities and other structured instruments.
• Fair Housing Defense is another Fox Rothschild publication, this one authored by Scott M. Badami, Karin Corbett and Christian Moffitt. The blog focuses on the ins and outs of the Federal Fair Housing Act (FHA) as well as its state and local counterparts.
• Foley Hoag Newsroom covers hot and popular topics in the legal realm, industry insights and legal trends. Readers can find commentary on new regulations, recently decided court cases, business trends and other topics that are of critical importance, in print and electronic formats.
• LLC Law Monitor has insight and commentary on the law of limited liability companies. The blog is written by Doug Batey, a principal in the Seattle office of Stoel Rives.

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I'm speaking today in Chicago at the "Get a Life" Conference put on by Total Attorneys.

The topic is effective blogging and social media: "Networking Through the Internet: It's Not About Technology". Part of the presentation will be online navigation and search results, but the Power Point file is here as well for you to download and follow along or read up on later.

You can also follow along online with the conference's live video stream.

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