Blogging and the Law Conference signals big changes
Came out of the Blogging and the Law Conference yesterday knowing more than ever something big was afoot. This conference represented a meeting of the law with the Internet media on the subject of blogs. It’s never happened before. And for two days long to boot.
Look at where the speakers came from to discuss the legal aspects of blogging, blogging’s impact on lawyers and society, blogs and law firm marketing, and much more.
Companies & Organizations (mostly heads or legal counsel of these companies):
- Yahoo!
- Network Appliance
- Creative Commons
- Stanford Law School Center for Internet & Society
- Bloqx (very cool video tagging site in beta)
- LexBlog
- Electronic Frontier Foundation
Law firms & law professors:
- Heller Ehrman
- Hinshaw & Culbertson
- Wilson Sonsini
- Reed Smith
- Davis Wright Tremaine
- McGlinchey Stafford
- McDonnell Boehnen Hulbert & Berghoff
- Kirkpatrick & Lockhart
- Gross & Belskey
- Professor Rory Little, Hastings College of Law
- Professor David Hricik, Mercer University School of Law
- Professor Raymond Nimmer, University of Houston Law Center
No question after this conference that blogs and citizen journalism will part of the fabric of law and society for years, if not forever. Law firms will accept this, just like they have accepted websites and email. Law firms who now say blogs do not play a role in their practice and marketing will change their tune before the end of the decade.
And to lawyers who laid the groundwork for blogs and the law, don’t resent the role large firms and media companies are now playing. Be proud of having brought them to the table. Join with them at upcoming conferences like this one. There’s going to be many more to come. There is much to gain by working together, not only for law firms, but for the public.
Onward and Upward.