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Staying True to Your Company’s Roots: A Quick Look at LexBlog’s Purpose in Life

By Kevin O'Keefe on June 7, 2024
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Looking at why you exist, as a company, and staying true to your roots is not that easy.

Twenty years ago, LexBlog’s purpose in life was cast in our tag line, “We Build Blogs For Lawyers.”

More than a blog, we built blogging lawyers who changed their lives through blogging, the right way.

We defined through a seven item package what a blog solution was for lawyers. No one else did legal blogs. I’m not sure they do, today.

We didn’t make custom changes to the platform, we were militant in how the published by and tag lines were set forth in the header.

We produced, not a website, but, with a lawyer’s writing, something akin to a publication, magazine or a book, built one post at a time, with authors described in the about section as columnists with deep expertise, as opposed to lawyers with law firm bios.

We created a unique and personal experience with our lawyers who we made sure learned to publish as bloggers so as to build a powerful word of mouth reputation, while helping people and businesses at the same time.

We were connecting lawyers with people, for good. It was an authentic experience all around, and a concept that has become our mission.

Rather than charge high prices like other developers and marketers, we sold a turnkey product, including a custom design, at flat reasonable cost with no extra changes, to start with or over time.

Success for the customer was determined by the customer’s business development success and increased revenue. No increase in revenue, you owe LexBlog nothing.

We still do much of the above, but we have drifted some. I have a heck of a caring team and I have forced some of the drift by demanding we try things.

Some changes are, of course, needed over time, but staying true to LexBlog’s purpose in life is something we need to be looking at.

Photo of Kevin O'Keefe Kevin O'Keefe

I am a trial lawyer, turned legal tech entrepreneur, now leading the largest community of legal publishers in the world at LexBlog, Inc.

I am a lawyer of 39 years. Wanting to be a lawyer since I was a kid, I have loved…

I am a trial lawyer, turned legal tech entrepreneur, now leading the largest community of legal publishers in the world at LexBlog, Inc.

I am a lawyer of 39 years. Wanting to be a lawyer since I was a kid, I have loved almost every minute of it.

I practiced as a trial lawyer in rural Wisconsin for 17 years, representing plaintiffs, whether they were injury victims and their family members or small businesses.

In the mid-nineties, I discovered the Internet in the form of AOL. I began helping people by answering questions on AOL message boards and leading AOL’s legal community.

I later started my own listservs and message boards to help people on personal injury, medical malpractice, workers compensation and plaintiff’s employment law matters. Though we were green to technology and the Internet, USA Today said if my firm “didn’t stop what we were doing, we would give lawyers a good name.”

In 1999, I closed my law firm and we moved, as a family of seven, to Seattle to start my first company. Prairielaw.com was a virtual law community of people helping people, a sort of AOL on the law, featuring message boards, articles, chats, listervs and ask-a-lawyer.

Prairielaw.com was sold to LexisNexis, where it was incorporated into Martindale-Hubbell’s lawyers.com.

After a stint as VP of Business Development at LexisNexis, I founded LexBlog out of my garage in 2004 (no affiliation with LexisNexis).

Knowing lawyers get their best work from relationships and a strong word of mouth reputation, and not promoting themselves, I saw blogging as a perfect way for lawyers to build relationships and a reputation.

When I could not find someone to help me with my own blog, I started a company to provide what I needed. Strategy, professional design, platform, coaching, SEO, marketing and free ongoing support.

As a result of the outstanding work of my team of twenty and my blogging, the LexBlog community has grown to a community of over 30,000 legal professionals, world-wide.

Publishing my blog, Real Lawyers, now in its 18th year, I share information, news, and commentary to help legal professionals looking to network online, whether it be via blogging or other social media.

Blogging also enables me to think through my ideas – out loud and in an engaging fashion.

In addition to my blog, I liberally share others’ insight on Twitter. Feel free to engage me there as well on LinkedIn and Facebook.

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  • Posted in:
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  • Blog:
    Real Lawyers Have Blogs
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