Blogging: A Cog in the Machine of Legal Practice

Blogging has become an important cog in the machine of legal practice in recent years due in part to the growth of the public's reliance on the Internet as a source for gathering or confirming information. Because of the propensity of consumers to look to Yelp or Google when attempting to locate the right service for them, those in the legal community would be amiss to not carve out a place for themselves among the other services represented virtually. Additionally, many of us use the web to help answer questions we may have about recent events or changes in the law. By providing a well researched summary of the practical applications of such an event or change, a law firm can solidify its reputation as cutting edge or ahead of the game.

Particularly in the realm of Intellectual Property (IP) Law, attorneys and firms are expected to be even more up to date with the recent trends and even the prospective paths for the rules and regulations of IP, considering they are being relied on to secure protection for their clients' IP at the current moment for perhaps decades into the future. IP clients have created something new and expect their counsels to know how to deal with the new and the novel, the latest and the greatest. No longer can firms be reactionary with opinion letters on issues relevant to their clients, but instead must anticipate their clients' needs and answer the what ifs before those words are spoken.

In addition to being anticipatory with answers, those answers cannot be in the form of the traditional legal opinion letter written by lawyers for lawyers, but rather must be written by those trained in marketing and communications for the general public. Fortunately (or perhaps unfortunately to some) lawyers are no longer paid by the word or syllable, but rather for the quickness, directness, and correctness of their work product, and their blog posts must advertise and give a sampling of their skill in precisely that. The firm with the consistently helpful posts that are clear and organized will not only be sought after by clients, but also looked to by other practitioners in the field, thus reinforcing their reputation as leaders in that area of law.

Finally, this explosion of voices on the internet and social media continues to change the legal profession as much as it affects society as a whole. Whereas work product seemed to be more secret and confidential in the past, we are now seemingly entering into an era of peer-reviewed legal advice. Weekly newsletters and twitter feeds of firms can be referenced and reappraised by others challenging their conclusions or building upon them to an even greater depth of coverage. As data and facts become more widely available, empirical analyses can be undertaken more frequently and highlight with greater illumination the more efficient options for clients and practitioners alike and, hopefully, the best path forward for all.