Posted with Permission of the Author, Stephen M. Nipper

Abraham Maslow once said that “…individuals who are incomplete in their knowledge or training of solutions propose the same type of solution to every problem they encounter.   They opt for the more familiar solution to one that may be more effective yet with which they are unskilled.”  The concept is often referred to as “Maslow’s Hammer,” in that as Maslow put it, “if the only tool you have is a hammer, you tend to see every problem as a nail.”

It is easy for lawyers to fall into the same cycle of being too busy to continue their legal education by expanding their knowledge base, often only “learning new tricks” when forced to take MCLE courses to meet licensing requirements.

Much is to be learned from other attorneys willing to share their experience, their knowledge and their insight into the practice of law for free on the Internet.  Where?  Legal blogs. 

Often referred to as “law blogs” or “blawgs,” there are now an estimated 2,780 of them, according to blawg.org.  Law blogs tend to be written by sole practitioners and small firm attorneys, although a number of large firms have started their own blogs in recent years, covering every possible area of the law, including specific practice areas, ethics, marketing, and law practice management.

The easiest way to find a law blog to read is to use the American Bar Association’s “blawg directory” located at http://www.abajournal.com/blawgs/.  The directory includes a nice breakdown of the law blogs by topic (subject matter).  The ABA Journal also publishes a yearly list of what they believe are the top 100 law blogs at http://www.abajournal.com/blawg100/.  Both blawg.org (http://blawg.org) and Justia (http://blawgsearch.justia.com/) also have blawg directories.

Blogs traditionally provide their content both in standard HTML format (viewed by visiting their website) as well as in what is known as “RSS” format.  [Note:  If you’d like additional information as to how RSS works, I encourage you to view the “RSS in Plain English” video produced by CommonCraft.  The video can be found on their website at http://commoncraft.com as well as on YouTube. ]

While you can read a law blog “the old fashioned way” by creating a bookmark in your browser and manually visiting the website from time to time, savvy blog readers typically use a “blog reader.”  The blog reader (sometimes referred to as an “aggregator”) allows you to subscribe to the blog’s RSS feed, whereby when the blog has a new post, the post will be displayed in the blog reader for you.  The benefit to using a blog reader is that you do not have to visit a number of websites checking for new content, instead the new content will be downloaded for you. 

To add a blog’s RSS feed to your blog reader, you need to find the RSS feed.  Typically, a blog will include a handy “Subscribe” link or will use an orange RSS icon linked to the RSS feed.  Clicking on the icon/link will then take you to the feed’s URL which you can cut and paste into your blog reader.  If you are lucky, the feed will be “smart” and will ask you which reader you would like to use to subscribe to the blog.

Commonly used RSS readers include Google Reader (http://reader.google.com) and FeedDemon (http://feeddemon.com).  Newer versions of Microsoft Outlook allow you to use Outlook as your blog reader.  For instance, in Outlook 2007 you can add RSS feeds by selecting “Tools” then “Account Settings” then the “RSS feeds” tab.

Some of the law blogs I highly recommend include:

·       The Non-Billable Hour Blog (http://nonbillablehour.com) where former attorney Matt Homann writes on client service, innovation, marketing and technology topics.

·       3 Geeks and a Law Blog (http://www.geeklawblog.com) which focuses on knowledge management, Internet marketing and library sciences.

·       Adobe’s Acrobat for Legal Professionals Blog (http://blogs.adobe.com/acrolaw/) which covers how lawyers can get the most out of Adobe Acrobat (e.g., how to redact correctly, how to Bate’s number).

·       The FutureLawyer Blog (http://futurelawyer.typepad.com/) which talks about “future technology for the lawyer of today.”

·       The Dennis Kennedy Blog (http://www.denniskennedy.com/blog/) where legal technologist Dennis Kennedy discusses tech for attorneys.

·       I Heart Tech (http://www.ihearttech.com/) where legal technology consultant Adriana Linares writes “how to” articles many lawyers would find useful.

·       In Search of Perfect Client Service (http://www.patrickjlamb.com/) where Patrick J. Lamb shares his insight on client service to fellow attorneys.

·       LawBizBlog (http://www.lawbizblog.com/) where Ed Poll shares an amazing collection of blog posts and video podcasts on the practice of law (for profit).

·       Law Practice Tips Blog (http://jimcalloway.typepad.com/lawpracticetips/) where Oklahoma State Bar Law Practice Management chair Jim Calloway shares the best law practice management tips he finds on the Internet.

·       iPhone J.D. (http://www.iphonejd.com/) which covers, you guessed it, how lawyers can better use their iPhones as a law practice tool.

·       Law Practice Management  (http://www.pa-lawpracticemanagement.com/), a blog provided by a consulting firm that does an excellent job of discussing new technology and how it will impact lawyers practices.

A number of Idaho lawyers also have blogs, including (but not limited to):

·       Chuck Peterson – http://www.idahocriminaldefenselaw.com/

·       Thomas Walker – http://www.ricolawblog.com/

·       Paul Stark – http://idahobizlaw.blogspot.com/

·       Brad Frazer – http://internetlawyer.blogspot.com/

·       Bob Shaver – http://bicyclepatents.com/

·       Bruce Perry – http://www.integralawblog.com

·       Barry Peters – http://barrypeters-law.com/law-journal-2/ 

Hopefully, I have encouraged you to check out some of the great content available for free to you via law blogs, and add a few new tools to your tool box, as Abraham Maslow would have encouraged.

About the Author - Stephen M. Nipper is a Registered Patent Attorney with Dykas, Shaver & Nipper, LLP in Boise.  He welcomes any questions, comments or feedback (nipper@dykaslaw.com).  His law blog (covers technology tips for lawyers) can be found at http://inventblog.com.