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○ Canna Law Blog6 puts a Seattle law firm and young lawyer on the national stage
in the burgeoning cannabis industry;
○ New Miami Blog7 puts an innovative general practice law firm square and center
in the Miami business community; and
○ Connecticut Employment Law Blog8 has made a Hartford lawyer a household
name for HR executives both state- and nationwide.
● Identify your audience. Clients, prospective clients, and referral sources are the obvious
audience, but they are not the most important. Think about the people and organizations
that influence this core audience: mainstream and trade media, bloggers, association
leaders, influencers on social media, publishers, and conference coordinators.
● Who do you want to know that you exist? Who do you want to know personally that you
don’t now? Engage the influencers, and you’ll grow your influence as they engage you in
various ways in return. Unlike offline engagement, online engagement leaves a
permanent record. When Googling your name or participating on social media, your core
audience will see you cited by bloggers and the media, see your blog posts getting shared,
and see you speaking at conferences.
Measuring Success
It's not primarily traffic, search engine results, and subscribers.
Ask yourself, “Am I growing my relationship network?” “Am I becoming a better
lawyer?” “Am I establishing a reputation as a ‘go-to’ attorney in my niche or locale?” “Am I
procuring not just any work, but high-quality clients?”
Chicago attorney R. David Donoghue of Holland & Knight is an example of the strategy,
passion, and niche focus that makes for a successful blogger.
Working as an attorney for an auto supply company in Detroit, Donoghue wanted
something more. As a young attorney, Donoghue didn’t think he was seasoned enough to be
recognized as a thought-leader, but discovering that one of the most popular legal blogs at the
time was written by a smart, second-year associate, he figured he was just as capable.
Donoghue instinctively knew he needed a narrow focus for his blog to stand out. “I knew
that I couldn’t be a generalist; that no one was going to come to me for news he or she could get
in The New York Times. I wanted to create the kind of content readers couldn’t get anywhere
else.”
Six months after starting his blog, Donoghue walked into an IP-related legal function in
Chicago, and people knew him. “This was a big deal — to have this kind of recognition as a
relatively young lawyer in a big city. Because of my blog, I stood out.” Donoghue has gone on to
earn millions because of his Chicago IP Litigation9 blog and now launched a second blog, Retail
Patent Litigation.10
6 CANNA LAW BLOG, http://www.cannalawblog.com/.
7 BILZIN SUMBERG’S NEW MIAMI BLOG, http://www.newmiamiblog.com/.
8 CONNECTICUT EMPLOYMENT LAW BLOG, http://www.ctemploymentlawblog.com/.
9 CHICAGO IP LITIGATION, http://www.chicagoiplitigation.com/.
10 RETAIL PATENT LITIGATION, http://www.retailpatentlitigation.com/.
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in the burgeoning cannabis industry;
○ New Miami Blog7 puts an innovative general practice law firm square and center
in the Miami business community; and
○ Connecticut Employment Law Blog8 has made a Hartford lawyer a household
name for HR executives both state- and nationwide.
● Identify your audience. Clients, prospective clients, and referral sources are the obvious
audience, but they are not the most important. Think about the people and organizations
that influence this core audience: mainstream and trade media, bloggers, association
leaders, influencers on social media, publishers, and conference coordinators.
● Who do you want to know that you exist? Who do you want to know personally that you
don’t now? Engage the influencers, and you’ll grow your influence as they engage you in
various ways in return. Unlike offline engagement, online engagement leaves a
permanent record. When Googling your name or participating on social media, your core
audience will see you cited by bloggers and the media, see your blog posts getting shared,
and see you speaking at conferences.
Measuring Success
It's not primarily traffic, search engine results, and subscribers.
Ask yourself, “Am I growing my relationship network?” “Am I becoming a better
lawyer?” “Am I establishing a reputation as a ‘go-to’ attorney in my niche or locale?” “Am I
procuring not just any work, but high-quality clients?”
Chicago attorney R. David Donoghue of Holland & Knight is an example of the strategy,
passion, and niche focus that makes for a successful blogger.
Working as an attorney for an auto supply company in Detroit, Donoghue wanted
something more. As a young attorney, Donoghue didn’t think he was seasoned enough to be
recognized as a thought-leader, but discovering that one of the most popular legal blogs at the
time was written by a smart, second-year associate, he figured he was just as capable.
Donoghue instinctively knew he needed a narrow focus for his blog to stand out. “I knew
that I couldn’t be a generalist; that no one was going to come to me for news he or she could get
in The New York Times. I wanted to create the kind of content readers couldn’t get anywhere
else.”
Six months after starting his blog, Donoghue walked into an IP-related legal function in
Chicago, and people knew him. “This was a big deal — to have this kind of recognition as a
relatively young lawyer in a big city. Because of my blog, I stood out.” Donoghue has gone on to
earn millions because of his Chicago IP Litigation9 blog and now launched a second blog, Retail
Patent Litigation.10
6 CANNA LAW BLOG, http://www.cannalawblog.com/.
7 BILZIN SUMBERG’S NEW MIAMI BLOG, http://www.newmiamiblog.com/.
8 CONNECTICUT EMPLOYMENT LAW BLOG, http://www.ctemploymentlawblog.com/.
9 CHICAGO IP LITIGATION, http://www.chicagoiplitigation.com/.
10 RETAIL PATENT LITIGATION, http://www.retailpatentlitigation.com/.
45
