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Real Lawyers Have Blogs

Real Lawyers Podcast: Greg Siskind — Usenet, a 1994 Immigration Bulletin and AI Search

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By Colin O’Keefe
August 21, 2025

Greg Siskind was publishing online before most lawyers had email. In this episode of the Real Lawyers podcast, he retraces grabbing a domain in 1993, launching an immigration bulletin in 1994 and learning netiquette on Usenet.

He walks through early ABA advertising fights, the daily grind of updating a website and how that visibility led to real work — from Nashville hospital systems to Cirque du Soleil. Greg also explains why authority built through publishing now matters even more as AI answers become the front door to legal services.

Be sure to subscribe to the show wherever you get your podcasts. You can also, as you can tell, watch the video of the episode below.

Episode outline

  • 01:17 — ABA Techshow 1997 and the moment legal publishing clicked
  • 02:26 — Usenet newsgroups and the first immigration bulletin
  • 06:08 — Mosaic era lessons and securing a domain in 1993
  • 09:30 — Standing up an early website and changing it every day
  • 21:46 — Ethics and advertising debates that shaped the playbook
  • 31:52 — Nashville’s healthcare hub and the book that opened doors
  • 35:14 — Inbound from visibility, including a call from Cirque du Soleil
  • 37:41 — Why weird niches win and how to insulate from commoditization
  • 41:34 — AI surfacing true authority and why publishing beats tactics
  • 44:49 — Practical advice for young lawyers on focus and output

Key points

  • Be first to teach online and you become the reference point
  • Daily, visible updates compound faster than one big campaign
  • Pick a niche that is narrow, needed, and near real buyers
  • Books, newsletters, and a living website feed each other
  • Ethics guardrails force better writing and clearer disclosures
  • Authority now shows up in AI answers, not just blue links
  • Don’t chase SEO tricks — publish so people cite you and machines can trust you
  • Make it easy for reporters, hospitals, and teams to find proof of expertise
  • Write relentlessly, answer real questions, and show your work
  • The niche gets you in the door, consistent publishing keeps you there