If you’ve done any work that touches the marijuana industry—or if you’re just an interested toker—chances are you’ve turned to Harris Bricken‘s Canna Law Blog for some legal insight.

This year marks their second win in a row, and in continuing our interviews of LexBlog Network members representing us in the Blawg 100, their editor Hilary Bricken took some time to share how they do it.

What discipline have you set up for yourself to help your blogging process? 


Because Canna Law Blog is a multi-author blog we very quickly decided to assign each lawyer a designated day of the week on which to blog. This cuts down on the stress of one or two people having to carry the entire blog and it helps to bring a unique perspective to every post where each author has different opinions, tips, and strategies on legal issues. For my own personal day, the night before it’s due, I make sure I set aside up to one hour either early in the morning or later in the evening to actually draft a post. Before that night, I’m usually perusing the headlines and looking at my own client files for interesting issues and developments about which to write. We also decided to designate one or two main editors (which includes me), which helps to cut down on second guessing style and format in each post.

What’s your favorite type of post to write? 


I absolutely love lists. Whether it’s a top ten best or worst, or whatever the case may be, lists are super helpful to organize thoughts and to prioritize messaging and content.

Do you have a favorite post? 


I definitely do. It would be the “Top Ten Red Flags in the Marijuana Industry Post.” I enjoyed writing it because it felt good to air what I believed to be the biggest scams and things to look out for in this emerging industry, and I also love a good, solid list. I’ve also been complimented multiple times on that post over the years by clients, regulators, colleagues, etc. because, I think, they appreciate a watch dog post that’s universally helpful to all.

What kinds of things do you do to engage your readership?


I try to write from personal experiences and I don’t try to use legalese or pitch my firm’s services. Personal experiences really help a reader connect with the content because, among other reasons, maybe it’s happened to them or they’re thinking about whatever the experience is. Also, no one wants to read a legal brief as a blog post (and I definitely don’t want to write a brief for the blog). And pitching services in a post is not only shameless but also boring and not helpful to the reader.

Why do you think you made it on the Blawg 100? What sets you apart?

There really aren’t a lot of marijuana-legal specific blogs out there that are as up-to-date as we are, and we also post every day. In addition, my opinion is that no other law firm produces the content we do when it comes to the cannabis industry—we really push ourselves hard to put the time in to generate great content on top of our client work and day-to-day firm obligations. We also write about real and emerging industry issues in multiple states and we don’t hesitate to take a position on controversial points of law or policy issues because we’re experts in the field. We also provide reliable and understandable information in a very complex area to a variety of audiences without selling our services in every single post. I think readers of all kinds really appreciate that last point, and it helps keep them interested in what we have to say.