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Lawyer Ran Like His Hair Was On Fire When Marketing Company Advised They Write His Blog Content

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October 20, 2022

When Attorney Aaron Lukken, who runs a consultancy on international litigation for American lawyers and the publisher of The Hague Law Blog, was leaving his last firm to hang his own shingle he approached a number of legal marketing companies about publishing a blog, among other things.

Lukken’s story he shared this week is a good one for lawyers looking to build a reputation and develop business through blogging at the rate Lukken has.

As I was preparing to leave my last gig and hang out my shingle, I talked to a team of “legal marketing experts” who insisted that they and their team should write my blog posts for me.  You handle the lawyering, they said.  Let us handle the content.

Needless to say, I was flabbergasted, and I ran away from that company like I had my hair on fire.  Few things in legal practice seem so sleezy as lawyers who have someone else write their blog posts for them.  It’s fake, it’s fraudulent, and it truly is unprofessional, which is why blogging is viewed so negatively.  And why so many lawyers don’t want to blog–  for fear of looking unprofessional. 

Commenting on my blog post suggesting lawyers blog in a real and authentic fashion, keeping in mind the legacy they leave, Lukken continued,

Ain’t that the truth.  That’s why I write the way I do– this isn’t a law review (snooze), it’s not a bar association journal (limited circulation), and it’s not a hornbook (um, huh?).  This is a nuts and bolts guide to how things work in my very tight little niche.  If it helps my colleagues get things done on their own, so be it.  If it gives them just a skoosh more confidence that their clients’ blood and treasure are protected, even better.  And if it prompts them to ask me to lend a hand… I’m a pretty lucky lawyer.

Lukken’s a great example of what it means to be yourself when blogging.

I wrote at the beginning (and it’s still on our “About” page) that just about all of our posts will be cheeky, irreverent, and peppered with humor… but we promise, never mean, never judgmental, and hopefully never offensive or inappropriate.

You will find smart-ass commentary here, because it’s authentic, and sometimes scathing satire is needed to right what’s wrong– or even to give somebody assurance that they’re not completely nuts.  Above all, it’s my voice– not some stodgy treatise that has to conform to a style manual. Apparently, my clients think that matters.

You know, I’d walk around with this guy and knock on law firm doors to introduce lawyers to what blogging really is.

We’d help people, businesses and lawyers, all of whom lawyers strive to serve in this, a noble, profession. We’d leave a nice legacy too.

Crazy thing is that if I asked Aaron if he was up for it, he’d say yes.