This Week in Legal Blogging

Yevgen Poltenko serves as the executive director of the Legal Development Network, an association of community-based non-governmental organizations that promotes people-centered justice in Ukraine. He joins Bob Ambrogi on This Week in Legal Blogging to discuss the organization's efforts to assist Ukrainians amidst the Russian invasion of their country. You can donate directly to the organization here.

When University of the Pacific - McGeorge School of Law launched McGeorge Law Today in September of 2021, it became the first law school to have a LexBlog Syndication Portal. Pulling together blogs, podcasts and more, this Portal is home to insights from McGeorge faculty, staff and alumni. As we approach the half-year mark of the initiative's launch, Dean of the law school Michael Hunter Schwartz joins Bob Ambrogi on This Week in Legal Blogging to discuss the project. The pair also discuss the state of legal academia at large and Schwartz's own blog, What Great Law Schools Do.

Philip Segal finds the facts that most lawyers aren't trained to find and does so with an unwavering commitment to ethics. Along with being the founder of Charles Griffin Intelligence, Segal is the founder of not one, but two blogs: The Ethical Investigator and The Divorce Assest Hunter. He joins Bob Ambrogi on This Week in Legal Blogging to chart his path from journalism to law and eventually law blogging.

Much like the practice group that runs it, Robinson+Cole's Manufacturing Law Blog covers the key areas of law relevant to manufacturers and does so in expert fashion. As an environmental lawyer, Megan Baroni brings her expertise from this specific area of law to both clients and to the blog posts she writes. She joins Bob Ambrogi on This Week in Legal Blogging and shares how this interdisciplinary approach to blogging has helped her and her colleagues establish themselves as thought-leaders within the manufacturing legal space.

Ben Shatz, the Co-Chair of Manatt, Phelps & Phillips Appellate Practice Group, has one of the more unique origin stories in legal blogging. His publication, Southern California Appellate News was not an intentional marketing effort on his or his firm's part, but rather a passing of a torch. The blog was originally founded in June of 2010 by an Orange County Court of Appeals research attorney Nathan Scott. After blogging for a few years, Scott was appointed to the bench in 2013 and selected Shatz to be his successor and carry on the blog. While it still retains its same classic look and charm, Shatz has grown the blog and its audience over what has now been almost a decade. He joins Bob Ambrogi on This Week in Legal Blogging and shares his thoughts on blogging and his efforts to foster a community.

Through a mix of blogging, podcasting, social media and more, Jodi Daniels has propelled her boutique data privacy consultancy to new heights. As the Founder and CEO of Red Clover Advisors, Daniels has employed a unique and highly effective content marketing strategy that allows her to share her deep knowledge of data privacy with prospective clients, earn their trust and build real and meaningful relationships with them. She joins Bob Ambrogi on This Week in Legal Blogging and shares her entrepreneurial story and the advice she has for others.

The Marshall Project—named in honor of former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall—is a nonprofit news outlet devoted to covering the U.S. criminal justice system. The organization focuses on deep investigative reporting which has earned it two Pulitzer Prizes since it launched in 2014. Susan Chira became the Editor-in-Chief of The Marshall Project after a successful career at The New York Times. She joins Bob Ambrogi on This Week in Legal Blogging to discuss The Marshall Project's newest initiative in Cleveland, Ohio.

Lindsay Brandon says you can credit both blogging and Seattle sports to starting her on her career path in sports law. As a writer she focused much of her effort on covering the intersection of sports, social justice and the law and is now a practicing associate at the Law Offices of Howard L. Jacobs—a firm that primarily represents Olympic athletes in administrative proceedings. Along with that, she serves on Women in Sports Law's (WISLaw) Communications Committee. She joins Bob Ambrogi on This Week in Legal Blogging to discuss her career path and the initiatives she and the members of WISLaw are working on.

Eric Fader has been blogging since 2012, but when he joined Rivkin Radler in 2018 he needed to prove to his new firm just how effective law blogs are. He told those at the firm if they started a new blog it would not fail under his watch. That turned out to be an understatement as Fader's blog, Rivkin Rounds has been a resounding success—so much so that it has now moved off of the firm's website and onto its own site on the LexBlog platform. He joins Bob Ambrogi on This Week in Legal Blogging to discuss his blog's journey and how it became the place for “your prescribed dose of health law news.”

Just over two years ago, Jaspan Schlesinger LLP decided they wanted to expand their media presence by launching blogs. Michael Ryan decided he wanted in. He volunteered to start The New York Trusts & Estates Blog, but knew from the start that he wanted to do things a little differently. Ryan is of counsel to Jaspan Schlesinger and chairs the firm's trusts and estates and estate litigation practice groups. He joins Bob Ambrogi on This Week in Legal Blogging to explain why he infuses his blog posts with stories about jazz legends like Charlie Parker and playwrights such as Shakespeare and why this element of 'human touch' serves to set his blog posts apart.

Selecting a niche is key to the success of any legal blog and Aaron Lukken had no trouble finding and thriving in his. Lukken is one of the leading voices on transnational litigation and works with other attorneys everywhere from Canada to Mauritius. He launched the Hague Law Blog on the same day as his firm, Viking Advocates, LLC and credits much of his success to his decision to stick to blogging—partly on his wife's insistence. He joins Bob Ambrogi on This Week in Legal Blogging to discuss cross-border litigation, his blogging journey and much more.

Back in 2015 Mark Nieds traded the cold and wind of Chicago for balmy Southwest Florida—but never stopped practicing IP law, or blogging. He helped build an intellectual property group at Henderson, Franklin, Starnes & Holt and also started writing for the firm's Southwest Florida Business and IP Blog. He joins Bob Ambrogi on This Week in Legal Blogging and provides a number of insights on his own writing technique as well as the current state of IP law in Southwest Florida.

After a brief hiatus, This Week in Legal Blogging is back and we have a very special guest for our 51st episode. LexBlog Founder and CEO Kevin O'Keefe makes his debut on the show and discusses his new venture—the Open Legal Blog Archive. He joins Bob Ambrogi in this special episode and shares his vision for the archive and how he sees it benefiting lawyers, the public and the legal community at large.

New firm, new blog. That's the story for tax attorney Lou Vlahos who joined Rivkin Radler LLP earlier this year and has just launched his brand new blog—TaxSlaw—”where those hungry for tax knowledge come to chow down.” While it's a new blog for Vlahos, he is anything but a rookie legal blogger. A pillar of the legal blogging community since 2013, he joins Bob Ambrogi on This Week in Legal Blogging to share his experiences and advice on everything from endnotes in blog posts to effectively infusing humor into your writing.

A decade ago, Jason Shinn was working at a firm, but already knew he wanted to start a blog. He advocated for the firm to start one, but was shut down and told it was not the best use of firm resources. This made him reevaluate his priorities and he decided to set out on his own and start his own practice. Present-day, he credits much of the success Shinn Legal now enjoys to his decision to launch his blog—the Michigan Employment Law Advisor—in the early days of his firm. He joins Bob Ambrogi on This Week in Legal Blogging to discuss why he still blogs and give insights into his process.

With blog post titles like “I'm Tired of Doctors Who Just Say Whatever the Employee Wants…” it is clear Fiona Ong isn't afraid to—as she puts it—“be snarky.” Her ability and willingness to infuse her passion and voice into her writing has made her a key to the success of The Labor & Employment Report—the blog she edits at Shawe Rosenthal. She joins Bob Ambrogi on This Week in Legal Blogging and details how a smaller management-side firm can use blogging to grow their profile and compete with large national firms.

Raymond Lahoud—author of Norris McLaughlin's Immigration Matters—focuses his practice on immigration law and deportation defense. He joins Bob Ambrogi on This Week in Legal Blogging to discuss where his passion for the law and immigration comes from as well as offer advice for bloggers who deal with subject matter that can be politically divisive.

Will was one of the editors behind the initial launch of Bradley's first blog— Labor & Employment Insights—six years ago. Now, it's doing better than ever, a success he attributes to the publication's consistent posting schedule, informal yet informative manner and a number of other factors. He joins Bob Ambrogi on This Week in Legal Blogging to go over key lessons he's learned over the years in regards to blogging and explains what the demographic for the firm's publication looks like.

Almost a decade ago, Tracey Diamond began the employment law blog, Hiring to Firing with her firm. Today, she still serves as the editor for Troutman Pepper's blog—responsible for approving post ideas, looking over articles and ensuring the blog runs smoothly. She joins Colin O'Keefe on This Week in Legal Blogging to offer a look behind the curtains on how to run a successful legal blog.  

We've got a different kind of perspective on legal blogging this week from Lee Peretz, the Director of Marketing & Business Development for Farrell Fritz. He explains the benefits the firm has reaped from the nine blogs, how the best blogging is all about listening and leaves us with some lessons he's learned.

Back in 1993 Bill Marler took a case that would kickstart his career and lead to him launching his own practice. Now, he has over 10 blogs attached to his name and is blogging around the clock. He explains how his passion for blogging has kept him going over the years—becoming as much of a staple in his life as taking a shower.

Law blogging would not be where it is today without David Lat. Now running Original Jurisdiction on Substack, Lat expounds on his experience with the new platform as well as the long arc of his blogging career—from Underneath Their Robes to Above The Law to his interesting setup now. 

Bill Silverman, the leader of Proskauer's pro bono practice, put it simply: firms should treat their pro bono efforts the same way they do any other practice area—by trying to be the best. And that means having the thought leadership to match. He sits down with Bob Ambrogi to discuss his day-to-day leading a large firm's pro bono efforts, the role their Proskauer for Good blog plays in that and more. 

There may not be another law blog out there that covers a regulatory space better than Ballard Spahr's Consumer Finance Monitor. Alan Kaplinsky—the creator of the firm's consumer finance practice group, a longtime editor of the blog and renowned lawyer in the space—sits down with Bob Ambrogi to discuss the creation of the blog, how its come to be so successful and what that success looks like in the world of business development. 

It's always fascinating to hear how lawyers ended up in the area of practice they did. It's almost never a straight line. But the latest This Week in Legal Blogging guest has a backstory few can match. Dr. Nancy Halpern, at one time a practicing veterinarian, joined Bob Ambrogi to discuss how she came to practice animal law at Fox Rothschild and shared her insights on authoring their Animal Law Update blog.

Data privacy intersects with multiple other areas of the law—and there's been an uptick in cases since the pandemic started. With a quick, hasty transition to a virtual world, Kathryn Rattigan explains how this has affected her practice and what part blogging plays in the whole situation. She talks with Bob Ambrogi about motivating lawyers to blog, her interest in drones, and how the publication has brought in clients.

It's not too long ago, it'd be hard to envision a large law firm the calibre of Seyfarth Shaw wading into blogging on cannabis law—but times do change. Jennifer Mora, Assistant Editor on Seyfarth's The Blunt Truth, joins Bob Ambrogi to discuss how she ended up in this area of law, their editorial process on their blog, why she writes and how it's made her a better lawyer. 

In the LexBlog community, there are few—if any—bloggers who do a better job of making their blog their home base of a larger internet presence better than Anthony Zaller. The author of the California Employment Law Report joined This Week in Legal Blogging to discuss how he positions his blog as a resource for Golden State businesses, why he supplements blog posts with video and audio and the impact the blog has had on his practice. 

With tens of thousands of lawyers, the LexBlog Community is flush with interesting stories—and Thomas Crane's is prominent among those. The Iraq War veteran joined Bob Ambrogi to discuss his San Antonio Employment Law Blog, how it started, how it's shaped his career and advice he'd pass along to fellow lawyers. 

You don't want to be shouting into the void. Husch Blackwell Partner David Stauss, author on their privacy and data security blog Byte Back, joins Bob Ambrogi to discuss the importance of writing content that's relevant to readers, why blogging is a great idea for young lawyers and how they catch readers' attention quickly. 

In one of our most interesting shows yet, Ohio State University Professor of Law Douglas Berman—longtime author of Sentencing Law & Policy—joins us to discuss blogging as an academic, how it's influenced his career, the role blogging plays in shaping the law and, naturally, what it's like having your blog cited by the Supreme Court. 

We are joined by privacy, data, and cybersecurity lawyer Jason Gavejian on This Week in Legal Blogging. He sits down with Bob Ambrogi to talk about the internal and external value of blogging, and how a good publication not only attracts clients, but even talent to a firm. 

We are joined by longtime blogger Eric Turkewitz on This Week in Legal Blogging. He sits down with Kevin O'Keefe—who fills in for Bob Ambrogi this week—to talk about his entry into the world of blogging and why he keeps at it 14 years later. 

In a shorter installment of This Week in Legal Blogging, we are joined by employment, workplace and Title IX law authority Angela Reddock-Wright. She sits down with Bob Ambrogi to discuss her experience with blogging throughout the years and why she does it.

We are joined by broadcast law thought-leader David Oxenford, who's been blogging for 15 years, on This Week in Legal Blogging. He sits down with Bob Ambrogi to talk about the FCC recognizing his blog, adapting to a technology-based world, and why he began blogging and continues to do so.

We are joined by workplace class action expert Gerald Maatman—who's run a successful blog since 2003—on This Week in Legal Blogging. He sits down with Bob Ambrogi to talk about patience, key elements behind a well-done blog post, and why he began blogging.

We are joined by Stephen Koprince and Shane McCall of Koprince Law on This Week in Legal Blogging. They sit down with Bob Ambrogi to discuss what makes a good blog post, how blogging makes you a better attorney, and offer a behind-the-scenes look at managing a multi-authored blog. 

We are joined by SCOTUS blogger Amy Howe on This Week in Legal Blogging. She sits down with Bob Ambrogi to explain how the two publications differ and the value blogging has.

We are joined by Ropes and Gray's Edward McNicholas on This Week in Legal Blogging. He sits down with Bob Ambrogi to discuss how data and privacy law has become more prevalent this year and how that's impacted the blog and his practice.

We are joined by Harvard Law professor Rebecca Tushnet on This Week in Legal Blogging. She sits down with Bob Ambrogi to discuss how blogging keeps her up-to-date and organized on the law as well as the differences between academic writing and blogging. 

We are joined by Leonard Gordon of Venable on This Week in Legal Blogging. He sits down with Bob Ambrogi to discuss what he does as an editor for the firm's blog, what makes a good blogger in general, and how blogging coincides with your ability as a lawyer.

We are joined by Sandra Edelman of Dorsey & Whitney on This Week in Legal Blogging. She sits down with Bob Ambrogi to discuss how blogging keeps you up-to-date on the law and why you should utilize that knowledge to write informatively to an audience.  

We are joined by Jamie LaPlante of Bailey Cavalieri on This Week in Legal Blogging. She sits down with Bob Ambrogi to talk about her best blogging strategies and who she writes for. 

We are joined by Charles Sartain of Gray Reed on This Week in Legal Blogging. He sits down with Bob Ambrogi to talk about how the blog has allowed both him and his firm to display their expertise. 

We are joined by David Johnson of Winstead PC on This Week in Legal Blogging. He sits down with Bob Ambrogi to talk about the benefits of niche blogging and choosing a specific practice area. 

We are joined by SpringLaw founder Lisa Stam on This Week in Legal Blogging. She sits down with Bob Ambrogi to talk about the opportunities blogging has awarded her and how it added to creating her own firm. 

We are joined by Arnold & Porter's Kirk Jenkins on This Week in Legal Blogging. He sits down with Bob Ambrogi to talk about how he manages multiple blogs and what they've done for his career. 

We are joined by Farrell & Fritz’s Peter Mahler on This Week in Legal Blogging. He sits down with Bob Ambrogi to talk about how he directly gets clients from the blog and the importance of having a niche. 

We are joined by Shipman & Goodwin’s Daniel Schwartz on This Week in Legal Blogging. He sits down with Bob Ambrogi to talk about his blogging journey and how it has led to him becoming one of the nation’s most influential legal bloggers.

We are joined by DLA Piper’s Jean O’Grady on This Week in Legal Blogging. Jean sits down with Bob Ambrogi to talk about her motivations for blogging—which include a love for writing and learning—and how she decides what to write about.

We are joined by Frankfurt Kurnit Klein & Selz’s Tanya Forsheit on This Week in Legal Blogging. She sits down with Bob Ambrogi to discuss the opportunities she’s received from blogging—notably, being able to launch her own firm.