Update (October 5, 2016): To the list of large Minnesota law firm blogs in the original post, below, you can now add Robins Kaplan! At least, as of today, Robins Kaplan is disseminating an email allowing people like me to “subscribe” to their blog posts. Judging from the fare on the Robins Kaplan site as of today, it looks more like the Michael Reif blog than the Robins Kaplan blog, with seven posts by Mr. Reif and just one from another Robins Kaplan lawyer, David Shemano. But presumably that will change over time.
Putting that aside, based on the significant investments by the large law firms listed in the post below, I think we have to conclude that law blogs are, in fact, good business.
Original post (February 25, 2015): I am frequently asked if Minnesota Litigator results in actual legal work for LEVENTHAL pllc, my law firm. Will blogging get your law firm business?
Judging from what the largest law firms in our state are doing these days, assuming that these sophisticated multi-million dollar businesses do not allocate resources without a profit motive and with due diligence, the answer might well be yes (see Faegre, Fredriksen, Dorsey, Stinson Leonard, Briggs). Legal blogs are worthwhile legal marketing.
On the other hand, many other top Minnesota firms do not have blogs. And also, with respect, many top U.S. law firms waste boat-loads of money on ill-conceived marketing. Couldn’t it be that some law firm blogs successfully bring in work and some don’t? The nature and quality of the blogs must factor in. Also sometimes it is hard to trace the origin of new business to one’s blog, but couldn’t the benefits, the new cases and clients, come indirectly from, say, lawyer-to-lawyer referrals inspired by law firm blogs?
I do not think the questions are easily answered. I have gotten very little business directly as a result of any Minnesota Litigator blog post or the blog, generally. But I think one can safely say these things: (1) blogging is a lot of work; (2) committed blogging (assuming the posts are both frequent and something half-intelligent (less frequent than one might think)) not only signals knowledge of the subject matter but also a passion for one’s work.
How else are you going to communicate that?
Isn’t it possible that some consumers of legal services might recognize and appreciate that their lawyers actually enjoy and find their work interesting? Again, how do you communicate that?
More importantly, isn’t it possible that others in the legal community, reading your writing, reading your insights, seeing evidence of your passion and your dedication to the practice of law will have you in mind for legal work when they have business they cannot handle for one reason or another?
I hope so.
Seth Leventhal is a Minnesota civil litigator with nearly twenty years of experience as a Minnesota trial lawyer. I have appeared in over 150 civil cases in Minnesota state and federal court (and several in other states, as well), tried several cases to jury verdict, and I am a Minnesota State Bar Association board-certified civil trial specialist.
Committed. Ethical. Experienced. Successful. Not a computer. Not going to be replaced by one. Ever. Call 612-234-7349 to speak to a real live Minnesota litigator for a free brief consultation if you think you might have a legal claim or if someone has brought or threatens to bring a claim against you.