March 12, 2009 by Lisa Kennelly

Texas Bar Association claims online social presence with blog

Blogs for solo lawyers and law firms have become the norm, but blogs for bar associations are a bit rarer. The perpetually net-savvy Texas State Bar shows how much a blog makes sense for a bar association.

John Sirman, manager of TexasBar.com and technology editor of the Texas Bar Journal, was the driving force behind the bar's new blog, the Texas Bar Blog. The site features the lawyers and legal professionals of Texas as well as breaking State Bar news.

"We see the blog a perfect platform to promote the good things that lawyers and legal professionals do in their communities," Sirman says. "Our intention is to keep it people-focused, with interesting stories from around the state."

Sirman has been featured in this space before, when he discussed Texas Bar Circle, a social and professional network for Texas lawyers that now includes more than 9,100 attorneys. While that network is exclusive, the new blog is meant to be accessible to a wide range of readers.

"It's not just for or about lawyers, but all legal professionals," Sirman says. "Hopefully those outside of the legal industry will also find it interesting. Ideally the blog will remind people that lawyers and legal professionals are an important part of their communities."

The blog aims to achieve that through diverse content that includes multimedia from Twitter, Flickr, and Vimeo feeds. It has an index of blogs by Texas lawyers, Texas Law Blogs, which follows more than 100 Texas lawyer-bloggers.

"Working with John and the Bar was a great experience," said LexBlog Project Manager Rob La Gatta. "Their goals with the blog were different than those of most LexBlog clients, and the end result is a community-based resource that can be highly beneficial to the Texas legal community. Their integration of new media tools - Twitter, video feeds, etc - brings this site into the 21st century, making it appear less like a blog and more like a fun & informative resource that appeals to all the senses."

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April 10, 2008 by Rob La Gatta

John Sirman of the State Bar of Texas [LexBlog Q & A]

What is Texas Bar Circle? That's a good question...and one best answered by John Sirman, manager of TexasBar.com and technology editor of the Texas Bar Journal.

How fortunate it is, then, that John just happens to be our guest for today's edition of the LexBlog Q & A interview series. Though we'll leave a detailed explanation of the Circle for our interview (available after the jump), suffice to say that the site is living proof of how the right kind of social networking can bring lawyers together in a useful web-based environment...one that we can expect to see more of in the near future.
1. Rob La Gatta: Tell me a little bit about Texas Bar Circle. How did the idea for it first come about?

John Sirman: Texas Bar Circle is a social and professional network for Texas lawyers. It works very much like MySpace or Facebook, but our network is "closed" and only accessible by our members.

Before we launched Texas Bar Circle about a year ago, we had toyed with the idea for some time. We saw it as a natural offering to bar members, especially considering the social nature of the legal profession. So we approached Affinity Circles, which had previously provided networks only for alumni associations. They shared our vision and quickly built and launched Texas Bar Circle.

2. Rob La Gatta: In a January article authored by Tom Mighell for Law Practice Magazine, he notes that between June and January, approximately 2,200 attorneys had signed up for Texas Bar Circle. Since January, has that number grown any more?

John Sirman: Today we've got more than 4,600 registered users (and counting).

3. Rob La Gatta: Do you find that many of the users have simply created the account and lost interest, or is there widespread active participation?

John Sirman: My sense is there are a lot who registered and haven't been active. Our job now is to figure out how to keep people engaged and coming back to the community.

A tool like this is really what the user makes of it; the more people contribute to the community, the more they'll benefit. We've also seen lots of examples of people who are actively participating and making new connections through Texas Bar Circle.

4. Rob La Gatta: What about security? How are you guaranteeing that the information isn't accessed by anyone outside of the legal community?

John Sirman: When users register for Texas Bar Circle there are authentication steps in place that assure us they're actually Texas lawyers. So far, security hasn't been an issue.

5. Rob La Gatta: Do you expect in the future to see more online networks like this, aiming to draw together attorneys from a specific region or practice area?

John Sirman: I think online social networks of attorneys are here to stay, and that we'll see more and more of them. There are also likely to be "meta networks," which connect various social networks and allow their members to connect and collaborate outside their own groups.

I also expect us to see things we can't even imagine today. We're really at a turning point for social media, and the fun is only just beginning.

Interested in hearing more? Recent LexBlog Q & A posts:

Or, see our full list of legal blog interviews.

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October 5, 2007 by Kevin O'Keefe

Texas Bar Association recognizes power of YouTube

Texas Bar Association YouTubeThe State Bar of Texas has launched a contest 'Lone Star Stories: Texans on Justice,' inviting all Texans of all ages, lawyers and lay people alike, to submit three-minute-or-less original videos to YouTube that illustrate their vision of the promise of justice for all.

Per an article in Texas Lawyer, entrants under 18 can win a $2,500 scholarship, while those over 18 are competing for a $2,500 cash prize. The Bar will be informing teachers around the state about the contest to encourage more video entries from students.

I agree with State Bar President Gib Walton, who launched the Bar's YouTube contest at the suggestion of Crane MetaMarketing, who sees 'this as a new venue for the citizens of Texas to express their opinions on the justice system in Texas and to do it in a fun environment.'

YouTube, used as a community of user generated videos, is using YouTube the smart way. Contrast Texas' approach with the Pennsylvania Bar Association whose advertising company used YouTube to run a Bar television advertisement to emphasize the good that lawyers accomplish.

No one at YouTube gives a darn what a Bar Association has to say about the wonderful things the Bar's members do. (I am not discounting lawyers' contributions to society) YouTube viewers want to see what other people say and Bar Associations should promote themselves and the law through what non lawyers think about the law. As Walton says 'We know Texans have opinions, I'm looking forward to what Texans have to say.'

Update From Carolyn Elefant: I'm impressed by the Texas Bar's initiative -- and excited by the prospect of bar associations using video for another reason as well. Now that the bars realize that they can harness the power of YouTube, perhaps they can combat what they perceive as tasteless TV ads not through heavy-handed regulation but simply through a counter video campaign.

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