Weblog Works has conducted a series of interviews with lawyer bloggers, asking them:
- When and why did you start a blog?
- Have you generated additional legal business directly or indirectly related to your blog?
- Have any of your peers seen your blog? Do they comment on it? Does the fact that they read it cause you to write differently?
The bloggers have given some interesting answers to these questions. The question which is perhaps most on the lips of those contemplating legal blogging is the second question, namely, whether the blog has generated any additional legal business. A year or so ago, around the time that LexBlog was getting up and running, there was some vociferous debate on this issue. It was a debate which, to my mind, was a bit over the top, because blogs were adding a new bow to one's marketing strategies, not replacing everything that had come before. It's for this reason that I think Francis Pileggi's (of Fox Rothschild LLP) answer to this question is or probably would be accurate for many legal bloggers who deliver quality information through their blogs:
"The measurement is not precise , but I have had clients indicate that they have seen my blog. It may be similar to writing articles in that it may not be the only thing that makes their decision, but it is part of the mix."
Of course, there are some blogs which are indeed the source of new business or which at least are particularly image-enhancing. So, for example, Clark Allison's answer to this question was this:
"Yes. It has greatly added to my credibility and bone fides with potential clients, existing clients and referral sources. As an example, several weeks ago an investment advisor who has referred many clients over the years emailed me about a recent court decision that appeared to have a chilling effect on planning strategies he often uses. Instead of calling or emailing him, I blogged on the issue and then sent him and other financial advisors I know a link to my post. The effect was great: I was able to answer my referral sources concern directly, leverage my research time to educate many and enhance my stature as an expert on the topic."