Almost every solo or small firm lawyer who runs a blog identified establishing expertise and credibility in the practice area as a top benefit. Jeanne Pi of elderlawblawg.com has used her blawg to establish herself as the "go to" person on elder law issues in her area, while George Lenard of employmentblawg.blogspot.com reports that he's noticed his site generates traffic from major law firms and the EEOC. Janell Grenier of erisablog describes that as a result of her blog, she's been recognized in a prominent magazine (which impresses clients) and gets inquiries from the press. As for myself, I can happily note that my renewablesoffshoreblog won me an invitation and a fully paid junket to speak at a conference of "international experts" on offshore wind power siting issues.
That's what's so amazing about blogs - they are truly a great equalizer in the otherwise hierarchical and stratified legal profession. A solo from the middle of no where can start a blog on a popular legal topic and if it's quality, that solo will be established as one of the experts on that topic. Again, being an expert won't guarantee clients - but over time, expertise in a field can lead to referrals from other attorneys and generate inquiries from prospective clients.
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