Celebrating 20 Years of my blog, “Real Lawyers Have Blogs:” Some Perspective

Twenty years ago, on November 22, a date I remembered for President Kennedy’s assassination, I embarked into the world of blogging.

With a simple picture of Perry Mason saying “Hmm… I should have a blog,” “Real Lawyers Have Blogs” was born.

Post-LexisNexis, armed with lessons from my first company, Prairielaw.com, and driven by a passion to help lawyers harness the internet for building a name and building a business , I stumbled upon blogging.

The idea was sparked by an article about TypePad, a web based blogging platform, in the business magazine, Business 2.0 (in paper by mail delivery), highlighting the quick user uptake of this new platform.

I realized that blogging could be the key to building a trusted reputation for lawyers. Yet, I was cautious, wary of my LexisNexis non-compete agreement, and anxious about venturing into something I knew nothing about. LexBlog was a couple months out.

Over the past two decades, “Real Lawyers” has evolved from a fledgling blog to a respected voice in the legal blogging, legal tech, business of law, and now, the AI worlds.

The blog has enabled me to start a company, twenty years old soon, travel around the States and Europe and support a family, a couple of whom work with me.

My team, who are raising their families on the back of “Real Lawyers” and I have weathered the changing tides of digital publishing, shared insights, and built a community of legal bloggers.

From the days of blogging under a hardware light in my garage, the journey has been nothing short of remarkable.

As I explained to a reporter today, the last twenty years have seen seismic shifts in legal blogging – not the least of which is AI, whose impact on legal blogging will be greater then the web, itself, which gave rise to blogging.

Blogs have moved from niche diaries to powerful platforms for thought leadership and seven figure annual revenue – from legal fees..

The most significant lesson from two decades of blogging is the power of authenticity (can be done with AI), continuous learning and continuous networking.

Blogging is not just about sharing knowledge; it’s about building relationships and fostering a community of like-minded professionals and influencers. It’s a platform for growth, both personal and professional. A lesson most blogging lawyers have yet to learn

“Real Lawyers” obviously played a pivotal role in the growth of LexBlog. Like lawyers starting a practice, on a legal blog and a prayer, with my blogging the company took off. We’re now serving almost 40,000 legal bloggers, around the world.

I have met so many wonderful people as a result of “Real Lawyers,” I am almost moved to tears when I hear lawyers tell me that blogging, and what we have done to help them, has changed their life and the lives of their families.

As “Real Lawyers” celebrates twenty years, my thanks goes out to every reader, every person I engaged via the net, and every member of the “Real Lawyers Have Blogs” community. Your engagement and feedback have been the force behind my continuing to blog.

Here’s to the next twenty years.

And thanks to Mrs. RLHB for carrying the load and having the faith to put up with a guy with a blog and a dream. Another legacy you have left.