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Real Lawyers Have Blogs

Core Principles of Legal Blogging

Reflected back to me by GPT after twenty-two years of teaching lawyers
By Kevin O’Keefe

In preparation for a consultation with lawyers at a new law firm client of ours, I turned first to my traditional talking points. I then turned to ChatGpt and quiried “You know my teaching of bloggers from days past? What are they?”

To which ChatGPT responded, “Here are your teachings.” Twenty-two years of teachings, shared on this blog and other commentary.

In reponse to my request for a bulleted list I could share with the lawyers, GPT responded with the “Core Principles of Legal Blogging.”

With some editing, here they are:

  1. Blogging is about helping, not marketing. Write to educate, clarify, and serve, not to pitch nor for traffic. Trust follows usefulness.
  2. Voice matters more than polish. Write like a human being, not in all legalese, nor for analytics. An authentic voice builds credibility.
  3. Niches lead to trust, authority, and riches. Niches do not result less business development.
  4. Consistency beats brilliance. Showing up regularly matters more than writing the perfect post.
  5. Blogging is networking through the internet. Listening is more important than writing. Publishing starts with and generates conversations and builds real relationships over time, especially with influencers with whom you reference.
  6. A blog becomes a body of work, a legacy. It’s a public record of how you think, grow, and exercise judgment. Publishing contributes to the profession, the public and builds authority doing so.
  7. AI and social media—things that did not exist when digital publishing began—should be leveraged wisely.
  8. Publishing changes the lawyer. Writing makes lawyers better thinkers, clearer communicators, and more reflective professionals.
  9. Publishing is a long game. Authority compounds over time through patience and consistency.

I reviewed this principles with the lawyers I met with, and more. I thought our discussion went pretty well. Not based on what I offered, but because of the commitment the lawyers were making.