Why Every Law Student Should Blog


Law School	Frugality	Personal Finance	Productivity	Career

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I started blogging at the Frugal Law Student during my first year of law school. When I started it, I just thought it would be a fun way to share with my friends and family the ways I’m saving money in law school.

But my foray into blogging has actually helped advance my legal career. That’s why I think every law student should have a blog. Here are two specific ways a blog can help you.

1. It’s a great job marketing tool. A blog is the ultimate marketing tool for law stuents. When you go into a job interview, employers are looking for what distinguishes you from the dozens of other applicants they’re interviewing. On paper, most applicants look the same, especially when you apply for large firms. You and everyone else will be in the top of your class, you’ll all be on law review, and you’ll all be active in extracurricular activities.

One of the questions you’re guaranteed to get during the interview is “What do you do when you’re not doing law school?” You could give a vanilla answer that everyone gives like “I like to exercise” or “I like to read.” Or you could give an answer like this: “I author a blog that focuses on international environmental law; I’ve done guest contributions to the blogs of several environmental law scholars; and I’ve managed to attract a large enough following that I have commercial sponsorships for my blog.” Which answer do you think will stick in your interviewer’s mind?

The second answer packs in a lot more information than the first one. By blogging, you tell your interviewer that 1) you’re serious about environmental law; 2) you’ve networked with other attorneys and legal scholars in that field; 3) you know how to leverage technology; and 4) you know how to market yourself.

When you leave, the person who interviewed you is going to check your site out. They’re going to be thinking about you after the interview, which is good. By checking your blog out, they can get a better idea of who you are because your personality will show through your writing. They’ll probably send a link to the other attorneys in the firm.

All things being equal, who do you think is going to get an offer for a summer job? The person who just said they like to read or the person who said they blogged? I think the answer is obvious.

A blog can be a successful marketing tool even if you don’t write about law related stuff. Find something you’re passionate about and start writing. If you like to run, (one of those vanilla answers) start a blog and track your progress and share your tips on running. Then when you’re asked what you like to do outside of law school you can say, “I enjoy running and I write a blog offering tips on how runners can improve.” Your interviewer will be impressed with your tech saviness. When they check your site out, they’ll get a better idea of who you are.

Of course the effectiveness of a blog as a marketing tool depends on a few factors. First, while you can be less formal on a blog, remember that potential employers might be reading it. So don’t use vulgar language, don’t post pictures of you after a Thursday night partying, and don’t discuss your sex life. Be personal, but stay professional.

Second, edit! Your blog is basically another resume for employers to use to determine whether to hire you or not. If your blog posts are full of spelling mistakes and grammatical errors, it reflects poorly on you.

2. It improves your writing. Blogging has definitely helped my legal writing. When you write for a blog, your audience consists of internet users who have the attention span of a gnat. You have to capture their attention and maintain it through good solid writing. When you write on a blog, you want to use short sentences and paragraphs; you want to tell a story that draws people in; and you want organize your writing with headings that make it easier for the reader follow.

Do these tips sound familiar? It’s the exact same thing you’re supposed to do in legal writing! By blogging consistently, you can improve your legal writing immensely.

Also, knowing that hundreds or even thousands of people may be reading your posts forces you to edit it carefully. Producing content that’s free of mistakes shows you respect your reader. When you prepare a trial brief or a research memo, you’ll want to show that same respect. Blogging can help you get in the habit of editing more carefully.

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Brett McKay | 08 Mar 08 | law school, Blogging

44 Comments

Christine on 09.03.2008 at 06:40 (Reply)

It’s a shame that they don’t force judges to blog in order to help them improve their writing… I’m slogging through a case right now wherein the average sentence length is about 4 lines. Zzzzzzzzz…..

I blog, but my blog is far to random and far too personal to share in interviews.
Mister Thorne on 09.03.2008 at 10:56 (Reply)

RE: I started blogging during my first year of law school at the Frugal Law Student.

Frugal Law Student is a law school?
What a Writer is Reading on the Web, 3/9/08 | Real Words on 09.03.2008 at 13:03

[…] Why Every Law Student Should Blog @ The Frugal Law Student […]
Jon on 09.03.2008 at 20:15 (Reply)

That’s a great idea. I had not thought of using the blog as an interview answer. By far a great way to distinguish yourself.
Dee on 10.03.2008 at 10:47 (Reply)

Mister T he said,

“I started blogging at the Frugal Law Student during my first year of law school.” NOT

“I started blogging during my first year of law school at the Frugal Law Student.” It is not the same thing.

Brett, this applies to all students whether they are law students, med students, college students or even high school students. Blogging can be very time consuming though and students are notorious for procrastinating. Maybe you should also look at the cons of student blogging.
Brad on 12.03.2008 at 22:47 (Reply)

Just for the sake of spelling: “A blog is the ultimate marketing tool for law stuents.”

Quite ironically should be: “A blog is the ultimate marketing tool for law students.”

Not major, of course, but an error nonetheless.
1. Mister Thorne on 11.06.2008 at 07:51 (Reply)
  
  RE: A blog is the ultimate marketing tool for law stuents.
  
  Interesting that the author hasn’t fixed this one yet, even though it was brought to his attention (assuming he reads comments to this post) three months ago.
  
  What will that tell a prospective employer about this blogger’s attention to detail?
Kelvin on 13.03.2008 at 05:33 (Reply)

Good point. Although my blog has yet to help me with regard to my job prospects, my opinion column - which was the basis for my blawg - has helped me edge out other people when I was looking for an internship.

It remains to be seen if the blawg itself can get me a job though. ^_^
paulette on 16.03.2008 at 07:51 (Reply)

Practice makes perfect. This can also be applied in writing. The more you practice, the more you get better
Mister Thorne on 17.03.2008 at 11:31 (Reply)

RE “practice makes perfect.”

Practice can just lead you to make the same mistakes over and over and over again.

Imagine two students learning to play the piano. Can we say that the one who practices 8 hours a day is going to be better than the one who practices 2 hours a day?

Suppose the one who practices 2 hours a day has a lesson once a week, and the one who practices 8 hours a day has a lesson once a month. Will that make a difference?

Consider this, wrt ‘practice makes perfect.’ Is a 56-year-old lawyer a better writer than he was when he as 26 (given that he’s written so much more)?

I say maybe, maybe not. Practice, by itself, doesn’t guarantee improvement.

If you want practice to lead to improvement, then sign up for some writing classes.
Brendan Ross on 17.03.2008 at 11:40 (Reply)

I agree that blogging is a useful tool - I just started one last week for the same reasons mentioned in the post above - I will be starting school this fall, and having been out of school for about 3 years, I thought it would be a good way to practice my writing. I always thought that most blogs were useless seeing as most people just churn out random drivel about their daily routine - when used as a tool for improvement across the board, writing a blog, in my opinion, is highly recommended. If you need writing ideas, just find something interesting in the news and give your opinion - I love fark.com and usually that gives me more than enough ideas…
Eric Paternack on 23.03.2008 at 07:58 (Reply)

Thank you for all of the great advice, and especially this post. I have just started a blog.

http://thereasonableblawg.blogspot.com/

Thank you,

Eric
jp on 31.03.2008 at 13:24 (Reply)

I resisted the blogging thing for the longest time, but I finally gave in. Now it seems to be kind of overdone. Oh well, at least the blogging software is good now.
paulette on 02.04.2008 at 06:39 (Reply)

Law student should blog to enhance his reasoning and be used to tackle things. Further more, this would broaden one’s idea.
Barb Ryan @ Pasadena Financial Planner on 03.04.2008 at 11:42 (Reply)

Every law school student? From the law school movies, I thought that every law student had to study round the clock to prepare for grilling in the classroom. Well, blogging might be good for developing writing skills or for advertising yourself, but you might want to avoid telling your professors how to find your blogs. Heaven forbid that they might actually read your blogs and then call on you in class about what you have written. :^)
Wrinkle Creams on 03.04.2008 at 12:36 (Reply)

These are some excellent points! I think setting yourself up and owning your own name is a really important strategy for getting a job after school.
strange bird on 03.04.2008 at 22:16 (Reply)

Yes, every law student should blog. So, where are you?
JB Yates on 07.04.2008 at 12:49 (Reply)

After reading your thoughts on how every law student should start a blog, I have started one of my very own today. Thank you for the inspiration, and if you are ever in need of some procrastination, please check it out.

http://allthelivelongday.blogspot.com

Thanks.
Jon on 14.04.2008 at 14:30 (Reply)

You may want to re-read this article for editing mistakes. You had a typo under heading #1. “Stuent”
Wade Young on 14.04.2008 at 21:16 (Reply)

Anything you can do to set yourself apart is great. Only exceptional people strive to help people in their off time. That message will come through to your prospective employers.
Kelli Myers on 15.04.2008 at 23:55 (Reply)

My friend is a law student. I’ll pass on this to her. Hope she will also start blogging soon.
Benson on 25.04.2008 at 17:54 (Reply)

I completely agree. Shortly after you posted this I started resipsablog.com and has been a great success!
Pam Grundy on 03.05.2008 at 09:27 (Reply)

So true! These days people have an entire other life on the web, and employers check it out. If what they find is professional and impressive, you are so ahead of the game.
TwoTank on 03.05.2008 at 13:36 (Reply)

Good stuff - law students can blog about hobbies that have nothing to do with law school. See e.g. http://twotank.blogspot.com

(a blog about SCUBA!)
Myfinancebutler on 12.05.2008 at 10:37 (Reply)

Some great points! I see so many people in traditional industry (law is one) who don’t know how to market themselves. Blogging (and other new media) is a great way to do so.
Myfinancebutler on 12.05.2008 at 10:39 (Reply)

And yeah, come interview time, it definitely helps. All other things being equal, a firm would love to bring on a lawyer who will bring them good exposure (at hiring and beyond).
Myfinancebutler on 12.05.2008 at 10:41 (Reply)

Oh,and one more thing - agreed on the writing thing. For a lawyer (and for many people), writing is everything. Good writing is a must, and catchy writing gives you a huge leg-up. Not to mention writing error-free. Great stuff!
Ricardo Bueno on 16.05.2008 at 20:02 (Reply)

I’m in complete and utter agreement with you!

The great thing about blogging is that it allows you to be authoritative so that when you speak, people will listen. Whether you’re looking for a job or promoting yourself (and your business perhaps) a blog serves as not only a great resource but it helps establish an impressive online presence (your own little web empire) and that is a big plus!
BadExperiment on 21.05.2008 at 00:14 (Reply)

I hope all law students are given the opportunity to learn about the development of covert directed energy weapons torture and gang stalking and how they will impact the future of criminal law - http://www.badexperiment.com
Vacation « Strict Liability in Blog on 24.05.2008 at 16:02

[…] In the realm of legal research blogging is my way of exhaling; just as one can’t hold all the air in them for fear of suffocating, I can’t just learn about all this cool stuff and not share it. My inspiration to start this thing came from this blog post from the Frugal Law Student: Why Every Law Student Should Blog […]
Coral Snake on 25.05.2008 at 20:32 (Reply)

Hey….

I was trying to read the post http://www.frugallawstudent.com/2008/01/30/save-time-and-money-by-working-out-every-other-day/

but when I click on it, it gave errors, and the webpage did not load….
Why blogging about your profession/interest is a good idea? « More than just a Bean Counter on 03.06.2008 at 15:58

[…] Why blogging about your profession/interest is a good idea? Posted on June 3, 2008 by Kit Check this out —> http://www.frugallawstudent.com/2008/03/08/why-every-law-student-should-blog/ […]
Oregon Criminal Lawyer on 09.06.2008 at 14:28 (Reply)

This is a great idea for law students to blog and build their reputation!
Eve Isk on 12.06.2008 at 00:10 (Reply)

Hi, dude by this blog i have got an inspiration to create a blog which is helpful to lot of youngsters to expand their ideas and way of thinking, thanks a lot.
Eve Isk comment on 19.06.2008 at 03:29 (Reply)

Excellent Post
Eve Isk comment on 19.06.2008 at 03:30 (Reply)

thanx for sharing the same.
Eve Isk comment on 19.06.2008 at 03:34 (Reply)

Will keep on reading the post
Eve Isk comment on 19.06.2008 at 03:34 (Reply)

Stumbled your post .. cheers!
Genesis Bible on 19.06.2008 at 14:29 (Reply)

hey, if they can find the time, why not? i mean i believe its a great way to clear your head, whether it be blogging or any other hobby!
Vanguard Mutual Fund on 24.06.2008 at 13:06 (Reply)

I think that creating an online business or blog is perfect for anyone in school. During this time, you don’t need a ton of money to live off of so the extra income from an online business could really help.
Credit Report Australia on 27.06.2008 at 22:54 (Reply)

Hi Brett,
Thanks for this post.
I agree on what you said
>> 1. It’s a great job marketing tool.
>> 2. It improves your writing.
and sure by blogging we can improve our legal writing.

Great… to share your experience…
Attorney on 28.06.2008 at 13:46 (Reply)

What I like about blogs the most, is the ability to create. The more you write the more you learn. Essentially, your creativity level get higher because you have a wider grasp on a particular subject.
Cat on 30.06.2008 at 07:57 (Reply)

Excellent Post.
Marketing on 02.07.2008 at 16:25 (Reply)

Blogging creates an online reputation. If you offer good advice to visitors to your blog and get a following, it might help you when looking for a job as you have online AUTHORITY. Interesting post.

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The Frugal Law Student is for anyone trying to mitigate their crippling debt. Me? I'm trying to mitigate the tens of thousands of dollars I've taken on in student loans. Join me on my quest to avoid taking on more debt, paying off some of the debt I have, and trying to survive law school while doing it. Read more about The Frugal Law Student, check out some of the best articles, or become a subscriber via RSS feed or via email

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