I remember first getting approached by LexBlog’s CEO, Kevin, when I was the Community Associate at WeWork. The selling factor being, of course, the way he talked about LexBlog and the work they were doing. Having no experience in the legal industry, nor any interest in the tech industry, I politely told him (in so many words) I was too fond of my current community in my WeWork building to jump ship.

He was persistent. The more I talked to Kevin, however, the more convinced I became about the importance of access to the law. He explained how momentum in blogging and online community building were transforming the way legal services were being accessed. Kevin talked about LexBlog like it was the best possible turnkey solution to expanding and advancing access to the law in order to help those in need – his belief helped me believe it too.

I recently restarted his Common Sense in Legal Blogging series while preparing video clips for our resource center.  One of the things he says a few minutes into the first chapter caught my attention – not because I was surprised by what he said, but because it rekindled my fire to growing this online community of legal bloggers. He states,

When I interviewed Jeff Nowak who writes a blog on FMLA in Chicago in December and I said, ‘What got you into blogging? What makes you blog?’ He goes, ‘My desire to help.’ I said, ‘Come on. At some point in time, you must’ve said I’m doing this for business development, or to make a name for myself.’ He said, “Never.” He goes, “I am always motivated by helping people.

It was that exact quote that reminded me why I was ever bought into this community in the first place. It’s the Jeff Nowaks’ of law that light my fire; they’re the helpers and the shakers. Kevin and Jeff have that in common. It was never about business at all, the driving factor has always been about using the internet as a force of good.

When I think about how I see this community growing and where I see it going, I see hundreds, even thousands more Jeff Nowaks. I see the bloggers and the lawyers who are addressing the access to justice gap, sharing resources and referrals with one another, making legal services more affordable and attainable for all. I see more training for young law students entering the legal profession and a greater effort to get them blogging early on in their career, thus cementing the practice of making law more available on the internet in their beginning days. For law schools and non-profit’s LexBlog’s platform is free – for other firms, large or small, LexBlog is affordable.

I see LexBlog reaching out to law firms, lawyers, and bloggers who are doing good work and bringing them into our community by offering free syndication and online resources as well as networking opportunities through our social platforms.

I see a directory of lawyers, broken down by state, practice, association, and firm, that makes finding a trusted lawyer and connecting with a truster lawyer much easier than it is right now.

The more we can equip legal bloggers with a stacked tool belt, the more momentum we gain. Encouraging lawyers to blog without aiding them along is like asking a college student to ace an advanced course without giving them a syllabus to prepare and measure success by.

The more we can connect lawyers to each other and to clients, the more this community will value participation and engagement. Why? Because it’s never been about business. We’re in an industry of helping people, bottom line. Revenue will follow.

Photo of Shale Heidinger Shale Heidinger

Shale started with LexBlog June of 2020. Having worked in the community industry the previous two years out of college, she joined the LexBlog team to advance the growth of the legal blogging community. With a passion for narrowing the justice gap and…

Shale started with LexBlog June of 2020. Having worked in the community industry the previous two years out of college, she joined the LexBlog team to advance the growth of the legal blogging community. With a passion for narrowing the justice gap and making legal services more accessible to all, Shale will be dedicated to empowering bloggers with resources, fostering relationships with clients, and advocating for meaningful connections among the legal community.