The Greatest American Lawyer

Free Resources for Attorneys to Create Their Own Websites

I received an email from Adrienne Carlson at McIver & Associates in Houston about a blog she did on the free resources available to attorneys to help them create their own websites.  She lists 50 various resources to help create a website that will be informative and helpful to potential clients.  Check it out.

Solo Practice - David Beating Goliath

MyShingle.com is a popular web site published by Carolyn Elefant.  She is a big proponent of the solo practitioner and helping the solo see that going solo is a reality that can be reached.  In a recent post, she references an article written by Malcolm Gladwell in the New Yorker entitled "How David Beats Goliath" which shows how the little guy can really survive and win in the face of adversity.  While the big law firms are finding ways to cut costs at the expense of associates and support staff, the small firms and solo practitioners are finding ways to "create their own playing field" to attract business and keep costs down.  The solo and small firms are putting forth more effort in attracting business through ingenious ways of billing, using virtual workers and blogging on various web sites.  The solo and small firm will continue to survive because they are not afraid of trying new things to attract and keep clients.

Doug Lichtman at the Intellectual Property Colloquium Launches New Podcast Series

For my regular readers, you know that I am a big proponent of A+ content.  Blogging is hard work.  And if you want to develop a following, you better provide some really good content.  There is a tremendous amount of competition out there. 

You also know that I am a big fan of vertical content; niche content on specific issues.  I was recently contacted by Doug Lichtman, a professor at UCLA School of Law, concerning his new website, The Intellectual Property Colloquium, which offers A++ content on intellectual property issues. Here is what Professor Lichtman has to say about his new offering:

The Greatest American Lawyer Blog Is Being Syndicated

We are pleased to announce that Newstex and the Greatest American Lawyer Blog have signed a contract which will syndicate GAL Posts.  We are proud to join other top legal content providers in the Newstex Network including LexisNexis, Thomson Reuters, The New York Times and JDSUPRA, ABOVE THE LAW, and other powerhouse blogs across the web.  This means that our blog posts and your comments will be distributed across the internet. 

Congratulations to everyone who has helped make the Greatest American Lawyer Blog successful these previous five years!

You Better Get Blogging! The Internet Is A Primary Beneficiary of The Stimulus Package.

As part of President Obama’s economic stimulus package worth $787 billion, 7.2 billion dollars will be provided toward the costs associated with bringing high-speed internet access to rural areas across the United States.  In a recent post on the straightupsearch.com titled “7.2 Billion Reasons the Internet is the Future of Business”, the author of the post explains why high-speed Internet connections can be beneficial to the economy.  Here are a few snippets:

Twitter And Blogs Go Hand-In-Hand

Kevin O’Keefe at LexBlog identifies 7 Reasons Why Lawyers Using Twitter Need A Blog:

The Influence Of Blogs

Kara Smith of Karasma posted on the influence of blogs:

The State of the Blogosphere  report by Technorati for 2008 reports that blogs are an influential part of daily life.
 
According to Technorati's report "brands make up a major part of bloggers' online conversations.

More than four in five bloggers post product or brand reviews, and blog about brands they love or hate.

Researchers found bloggers -- that the 22.6 million bloggers in the United States say blogs are being taken more seriously as information sources.

One in five bloggers don't think that newspapers will survive the next ten years, according to Technorati's report.

Continue reading For Legal Marketers, The Heart of PR Is Blogs In 2009 

Getting Your Blog Recognized

Jason Nazar, Co-Founder and CEO of DocStoc.com posted a great article discussing the various ways that you can get your blog out there and recognized for free:

Submit Your Best Posts: Get Recognition and Link Juice!

Next Wednesday, we will be publishing our first version of Over the Hump (OTH) Wednesday, wherein we feature the most popular blog post submitted to Overflow Legal.  If you think you have what it takes, submit your best post into the OFL directory, send those posts to people you think are interested in the content, and become eligible to receive recognition as a top legal blog post next Wednesday.  You will be featured on Overflow Legal and the Greatest American Lawyer blog.  If you have not joined the OFL community, you may do so by registering here.

An Excellent Article On Blogging Lifecycles By Eric Goldman

For those of you who don’t him, Eric Goldman is a prolific blogger who runs two niche blogs, the Tech and Marketing Blog and the Goldman’s Observation Blog.   Eric Goldman is an Associate Professor of Law at Santa Clara University School of Law and directs the school’s High Tech Law Institute. 

In a recent post called “Blogging Lifecycles”, he notes that many blogs come and go relatively quickly.  In monitoring his RSS feeds, he noted the two paths a blog can take. The first is obscurity and flameout.  The second is success, which can create a demand for more blogging and a reduction in quality.  There are certainly many blogs (hopefully this one) which has increased not only in readership but in the quality of content.  Here’s what Eric has to say: