HubRunner Picks: Best Blogging Resources for Attorneys

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With over 200 million blogs currently existing on the internet (BlogPulse), it is a challenge to stand out and attract readers as well as frame your blog with the specific intentions needed to survive and become increasingly prolific. Specifically, law blogs are among the most popular since readers are able to attain a certain amount of legal knowledge without the hefty cost of hiring an attorney.

By answering the question every follower of every blog as thought about, “Why should I read this?” in a clear and professional yet entertaining and engaging manner will allow you, as an attorney, and your practice to grow in experience, become more successful and more developed in recent issues concerning the legal realm. We’ve chosen a few articles packed with information that can get you started on the path to writing a meaningful and successful blog that stands a part from the rest!

Lawyer Marketing: Four Elements Of A Great Blog Post

According to Lawyer Marketing, an online law consultation group that helps attorneys and law firms with their branding and marketing skills, you have approximately 200 milliseconds to make a good first impression on a website visitor. That gives little room for mistakes during the crucial first glance at your or your company’s blog. By following short and easy steps you can captivate readers and keep them returning with every new post. Here are the four elements of a great post:
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  1. Have a well defined strategy and topic: What do you want the post to accomplish and what exactly do you want to say? Defining your specific practice and expertise as well as defining your subject matter will intrigue and catch the right readers/clients.
  1. Have an engaging title: The best titles not only grab people’s attention, they also provide a promise that the ensuing content will be worth their time. Writing titles can be deceptively difficult, however. They need to be descriptive, concise, and speak directly to the reader.
  1. Have a compelling first paragraph: keep it short, to the point and focused on the reader. Consider starting with a question, an eye-opening statistic or a statement that will resonate with your readers and affirm your practice.
  1. Have a persuasive body text: A first-rate blog post is similar to an effective legal brief. It needs to be clear, concise and well researched. It shouldn’t have irrelevant details. It needs to reinforce your opening statements. The key difference is that you’re writing for potential clients, not other attorneys or a judge, so keep it simple and comprehensible.

If you’re looking for a detailed guide on how to start blog, you might want to check out Matt Banner’s website about starting a blog.

blogging resources for attorneys

LegalCareers: Blogging Tips For Lawyers And Legal Professionals

Venturing out into the online world of blogging and sharing legal information, can be tricky to navigate as well as figuring out what to communicate, how much to communicate and who you’re trying to communicate it to. Sally Kane of LegalCareers provides various aspects to write a successful, helpful and attractive blog while still keeping your professionalism as an attorney and business person.

  • Pick A Niche Topic: Choose a topic that strikes a balance between appealing to the largest possible audience and focusing on a niche area that you are knowledgeable about and that will draw traffic. For example, there are thousands of personal injury lawyer blogs…what makes yours unique?
  • Focus On Quality Content: professional, well written, expertly researched blog posts will help you build your platform as an expert in your niche area and grow your readership. If readers like what they read, if they are informed, inspired or intrigued, they will return to your blog regularly and will link back to you from their blogs
  • Post Regularly: Regular posts will keep your content fresh and draw more readers to your blog. Daily posts are ideal but hard to maintain when you are busy. As a general rule, one to three blog posts a week will keep your blog fresh. Failing to update your blog regularly will not only turn readers off but will lower your search engine rankings.
  • Examine Web Metrics: Utilize web metrics to measure traffic and page views. Metrics can help you gauge your growth and learn what topics interest your readers the most, allowing you to fine-tune your content to reader demand. Likewise, metrics can reveal low performing posts and help guide your overall content strategy.
  • Incorporate Audio Visual: You can give your blog added dimension by including audio or visual components such as videos and photographs. This is a great way to recycle existing content and punch up your blog’s presentation.

Stem Legal: How Blogging Can Help You Become A Better Lawyer

In a recent interview with David Fraser, a privacy lawyer at McInnes Cooper in Halifax, NS, he said the main reason one begins reading and participating in Law blogs stems from the desire to “join the conversation”. It is the perfect way to attract other niche attorneys and businesses as well as singularly focus on a particular legal aspect that might not get as much attention as other, broader legal topics.

blogging resources for attorneys and lawyers

He explains that the benefit of being able to communicate and spread information locally and globally affects the way one practices and thinks about law, and what it means to be a lawyer.

He says that along with spreading and gathering information from other attorneys, blogging has also helped him keep on top of recent developments in the legal field and collaborate with others. He gives two examples of how blogging can help with success of new and old practicing attorneys:

  • When clients start looking for the right lawyer to fit their legal situation, they first try to find them online or via reputation, and for advisory work it doesn’t particularly matter where the lawyer’s desk is located. Having a blog gives potential clients the ability to find you easily online and show that you have the necessary qualities needed to do the job.
  • Being consistent with a weekly or bi-monthly post and blogging about topics only related to your legal practice promotes a sense of professionalism yet also makes you seem approachable and reliable. Never add anything personal or extremely political which could alter your credibility. Writing a business blog is often more about and for current and future clients rather then a sounding board for you opinions and disagreements.