Law Times

Law Times • January 11, 2010 NEWS Honouring the best in legal blogs Successful web sites 'not simply regurgitating the news' BY BENJAMIN GLATT Law Times C reating a legal blog re- quires a large time in- vestment. Maintaining a legal blog re- quires a steady commitment. And fi nding the time to post updates in a busy work environ- ment can be even more diffi cult. "But that doesn't mean it's not worth it," says Steve Matthews, a legal blogger and founder of the CLawBies, the Canadian law blog awards. "Th e benefi ts are there. Law- yers can build their portfolio and boost their connection to the media. David Fraser [of McInnes Cooper] has become a mini- celebrity in [Canadian Bar Asso- ciation] meetings because every- body's reading his blog." Matthews, the founder of Stem Legal Web Enterprises Inc. in British Columbia, created the CLawBies in 2006 with the in- tention of promoting blogs from the Canadian legal industry. Th ere were 11 award catego- ries this year, ranging from the Non-Legal Audience Award to the Law Librarian Blog Award. Readers and bloggers made their nominations either through Twit- ter, e-mail or other blogs. A blog couldn't nominate itself. "Th e purpose is to get the word out," says Matthews. "Th e blogs in the Canadian circuit don't get read globally, and that's why there are even awards for Americans who don't make the distinction of which country the blog is coming from." Successful bloggers need to hold themselves to a higher standard, maintain a profes- sional dignity, and hold back on any rants common with per- sonal blogs, he notes. "A good blog is when some- one is writing about issues and off ering opinions on legal situa- tions and not simply regurgitat- ing the news." One recent success story has been Antonin Pribetic, of Steinberg Morton Hope & Israel LLP, who has been blog- ging since August. His blog, Th e Trial Warrior, won the 2009 Best New Law Blog Award. It received praise as a "wonderful blend of academia and practitioner refl ections. Liti- gators would be wise to add this one to their subscription list for 2010." Pribetic, who has written for legal publications before, says he fi nds blogging to be a more in- novative way to get ideas out to the legal industry. But he, too, struggles with the time commit- ment. "Time is money, and I need to focus on my practice," he says. "Th e time management is diffi - cult, but I try to set aside the same amount of time I would if I were writing for a legal publication, ei- ther after work or on weekends." Omar Ha-Redeye, a third-year law student at the University of Major amendments to the Rules of Civil Procedure came into effect January 1, 2010. That's why we've created Ontario Annual Practice 2010 Interim Edition, which consolidates the amendments to the Rules of Civil Procedure and provides expert author commentary and practical advice on what the new rules mean and how they will apply. As a bonus, you'll also receive Ontario Annual Practice, 2010-2011 Edition at no additional cost in June (regular publication date). Get two editions in 2010 for the price of one. Ontario Annual Practice, Interim Edition includes all of the great features of the traditional OAP, as well as: • a general description of the newly amended Rules of Civil Procedure • pertinent case annotations - the cases which are no longer relevant in light of the amendments have been removed • a thorough overview of the amendments • a synopsis of each newly amended rule as well as expert commentary • the new Practice Directions for civil applications, motions and other matters in the Toronto region effective January 1, 2010 And with the monetary limit of the Small Claims Court increased from $10,000 to $25,000, this edition of OAP includes: • the amended rules of the Small Claims Court • case annotations • the amended Small Claims Court forms Hardbound (Main Volume) • 1872 pp. • Perfectbound (Forms) • 832 pp. • CD-ROM January 2010 • $89 • On subscription (includes both volumes, CD-R0M, paper supplements & e-notes) P/C 0645140000 • One time purchase $94 • P/C 0645010999 • ISSN 0318 3556 Get the June edition FREE when you buy this special Interim Edition. T BONUS: wo Editions for the price of one! Carthy_OAP Interim (LT 1-2x4).indd 1 www.lawtimesnews.com 1/6/10 10:50:43 AM Western Ontario, orig- inally founded his blog as a hobby as well as a vehicle for other law students to interact. While LawIsCool. com took a large amount of time to set up, Ha-Redeye was able to devote himself to the task in his fi rst year. Th ree years later, he has won two CLaw- Bies, including this year's Legal Culture Award. "Once the infrastructure [of the blog] has been set up, it takes a very short amount of time to get your ideas out there," Ha-Redeye says. "For me now, 15 minutes a day is more time than I need." While Matthews estimates about 100 lawyers in Canada are blogging, Ha-Redeye, who has a background in social media and Still, blogging is about more than build- ing a reputation or fol- lowing. It's also about professional develop- ment, says Matthews. "Th ere is a real ben- public relations, says their col- leagues will soon have to adapt to changing technologies if they want to connect with potential clientele. "Clients aren't going to the Yel- low Pages anymore to fi nd a law- yer. Th ey're going to Google and looking for information online. "If there aren't web sites that rank lawyers already, there soon will be, and if those lawyers aren't balancing the negative feedback, they're going to be in trouble." Ha-Redeye has found the best way for his blog to reach its audi- ence is to take legal concepts and apply them to current events. As a result, not only has the web site won CLawBies, it has also become one of the top Cana- dian political blogs. efi t amongst practition- ers to read and exchange opinions with each other. Th e laws may diff er from province to province, but there still is a Canadian com- monality." At the same time, blogs aren't necessarily just for lawyers. Some of them have brisk readership with up to 10,000 hits a month. "Some web sites are facing signifi cant traffi c. Some [visi- tors] might be facing a bit of legal trouble and are just trying to learn more about the law," Matthews says. LT Announcing a special Interim Edition Ontario Annual Practice 2010 Interim Edition Includes the new amendments to the Rules of Civil Procedure! PAGE 5 The Lat e Honourable Jus Der r y Millar and Jef tice James J. Car an f G. Co w t h y

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