Do you blawg?

In the cover story of April's Washington Lawyer, Sarah Kellogg asks the question everyone's asking lawyers these days, "Do you blog?"

Her overview of the current state of the blawgosphere includes quotes from some of the leading law bloggers, and wraps up with a wonderful list of the writer's favorite blawgs, including some new blogs and friends of Blawg Review, too.

Denise Howell, who coined the term blawg and is considered one of the Internet’s blog pioneers, says the nascent days of legal web logs were marked by a frontier spirit that was equal parts anticipation and exhilaration.

“You could tell early on that web logs would be very appealing to lawyers because we’re uniquely suited to doing this,” says Howell, a lawyer with Reed Smith’s appellate and intellectual property practices in Los Angeles and the publisher of the popular Bag and Baggage. “Lawyers are trained to write . . . and research. The writing they generate tends to have some credibility behind it. That is the crux of web logging right there.”

The writer makes a pithy observation that is probably a better way of writing what I said on Notes from the (Legal) Underground, yesterday.

The greatest contribution blogs may make to the legal profession is their ability to reveal talent and expertise often hidden in courtrooms and boardrooms. Blogs excel at getting the word out, and observers say lawyers who embrace them are bound to be rewarded with fans and fame.

Instead of waiting for months or years to be published in a legal journal or magazine, attorneys can pen a short article or commentary expressing their views on any range of subjects, dramatically cutting the time it takes to reach colleagues and the public.

The blogosphere is teeming with topic-specific blogs that have won kudos from legal experts for their ability to supply timely information that is unique and hard to find.

Hard to find until now, that is. Blawg Review is a collaborative project of a group of law bloggers who are committed to making the best of the blawgosphere more easily accessible and enjoyable to read.

Let's get the word out. Please give Blawg Review a shoutout in your blawg, and a permanent link in your blogroll. Your fellow bloggers who are participating in this open-source project will be thankful you gave them your support and encouragement.