The Top 25 Minnesota Blawgs, 2010 Edition
Decided. The Top 25 Minnesota Blawgs, as selected by Practice Blawg editors. It’s a great list and a diverse crowd, from rural attorneys to big city bloggers, with posts covering courthouse fashion, virtual worlds, and the nitty-gritty details of court cases. There’s even a blog we can’t read without using Google translate.
We’ve listed all 25 top blawgs below, in alphabetical order. Nope, we’re not ranking them 1 through 25. After all, we got into this gig to promote legal blogging in Minnesota, not to figure out who should win second prize in a beauty contest. So, peruse the list and click on any of the honorees to get our take on why they deserve to be listed here.
Attenza Law Blog
We initially knew this blog as Luck of the Law, but when author Karen Lundquist started a different firm, she changed it to Avanti Law Blog. It changed again recently to Attenza Law to reflect a new firm name, but the content has been consistent: business-law posts with frequent discussion of social media. With Karen’s connections to Italy (she used to live in Rome), a law partner who hails from Argentina, and a law firm that lists offices in four countries, the blog also takes on a decidedly international flair. Go to Attenza Law Blog | Tweet This | Share on FacebookBilingual Minnesota Attorney Blog
Bilingual Minnesota Attorney Blog is our favorite bilingual blog, though that’s like saying “you’re my favorite sister” to your only sister. Regardless, Tamara Caban-Ramirez is filling a much-needed canyon gap in bilingual legal resources in Minnesota. While it’s one of our choices for Blawgs We Wish Would Post More Often, it still makes the list. Go to Bilingual Minnesota Attorney Blog | Tweet This | Share on FacebookBudge Law Blog
When we talk to attorneys about law firm websites, they often tell us “I don’t want my site to look like a blog.” Hmmm. Confusing. One of the best ways to engage potential clients is a site that maintains fresh content. The Budge Law Firm takes that to heart. Their law firm web site is a blog, and their blog is a law firm website. And they do a nice job with it, showing how much you can do with some content, a few posts, and a nicely minimalist approach that actually uses a slightly tweaked version of the WordPress default theme. Go to Budge Law Offices | Tweet This | Share on FacebookCaveat Emptor
As far as we can tell, Sam Glover’s consumer-focused blog, Caveat Emptor Blog, is one of the longest-running legal blogs in Minnesota, dating back to 2005. That’s basically the neolithic age for Minnesota legal blogs and the bronze age for legal blogging generally, which is not surprising given Sam’s penchant to be out front on technology. It’s actually pretty fun to go “way back” to an earlier period of Caveat Emptor and see posts related to CSI, the Saddam Hussein legal defense team, and Wiccans. But going way back also underscores a solid lesson: Sam’s success with blogging did not come overnight. He was blogging early on and regularly pushing out content before people other than his mom and friends began following his posts and projects. His commitment to content easily gets his blog on our Top 25 list. Go to Caveat Emptor | Tweet This | Share on FacebookDodd-Frank and the Law
One blawg caught our attention because it focuses on one law. Never mind that the law– known as the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act– is more than 2,300 pages long and so dense that it takes a team of people to figure it all out. Hey, how about a twenty-attorney bloging team from Leonard, Street and Deinard? Grab the domain of dodd-frank.com and you’ve got what is easily the best blawg devoted to one massively complex statute. Go to Dodd-Frank and the Law | Tweet This | Share on FacebookDuetsBlog
You know a blawg is doing something right when non-lawyers dig it. That’s the case with DuetsBlog, an easy choice for one of the best blawgs locally and nationally (We believe it deserved recognition in the ABA Journal’s Blawg 100 this year). While it’s written by a crack team of 11 attorneys at Winthrop & Weinstine, it’s not what you’d expect. The blawg has personality. It’s funny, interesting, full of great information and packed into a nice design. Which explains why our Legal News Digest editor, one of our non-attorney staff, has it on her top list of all blawgs. Go to DuetsBlog | Tweet This | Share on FacebookEpilawg
Epilawg is one of our favorite team blogs. Another fairly new entry, this estate planning blog wins points for creative author bios (the bloggers’ humorously drafted obituaries), a great site design, interesting features, and a genuine collaborative approach to blogging. Epilawg has the collective brainpower of four estate planning and business attorneys, all pretty new to the profession but most with decently rich financial experience. The blog’s embedded Google calendar tool and a freebie health care directive are nice touches, and we imagine we’ll see more freebies on other blogs in the near future. Go to Epilawg | Tweet This | Share on FacebookFriedman Iverson Consumer Blog
We like the look and design of this blog as well as the firm’s website, to which the blog is attached. David Friedman and Blake Iverson make up Friedman Iverson, a two-person boutique firm that is serious about its practice but nicely irreverent about everything else. Even when they announced their new blog in August, they acknowledged that “the world needs another blog like I need an additional hole in my head.” They have kept it up, and the blog provides regular commentary and posts that deal with consumer issues, such as “dirty car dealer tricks,” repos, and bankruptcy. Go to Friedman Iverson Consumer Blog | Tweet This | Share on FacebookJDs Rising
With mash ups, web developers take various web apps and mash them together into more robust and decidedly different applications. While technically not a mash up, JDs Rising resembles one, providing the views of new attorneys and other law-related folks. At last count, JDs Rising had 17 bloggers, including the MSBA’s own Nicole Battles. Recent topics include overcoming a Blackberry addiction, courthouse fashion, and law school student debt. It’s our selection for best mash up blawg, and that’s not a bad thing. Go to JDs Rising | Tweet This | Share on Facebook
Lawyerist
A two-time selection for the ABA Journal’s Blawg 100, Lawyerist produces great advice for new solos, law students, and any other attorneys who are contemplating how to make their practices more efficient and, lest we say it, fun. Started by Sam Glover but now dominated by posts from Minneapolis attorney Randall Ryder and a large team of contributors, it’s a must-read for tips on making your practice better. Go: Lawyerist | Tweet This | Share on FacebookLegalMuse
Minneapolis attorney Kenneth Kunkle has a well-designed blog with a nice eye for photos (check out the one about piercing the corporate veil). Oh, and his posts are full of information on a number of topics, mostly related to intellectual property and his work with creative artists. He also recently established what he calls a “microsite” for trademark issues, where he posts court opinions he gets directly from the MSBA’s CourtOps Online service. Nice touch. Go to Legal Muse | Tweet This | Share on FacebookLMC Codification Service
We received a raft of nominations for LMC Codification Service blog, making it a fan favorite and easily the most exciting Minnesota blawg about a seemingly mundane topic: municipal codes. Want to know all there is about urban chicken ordinances? This blawg has it (here, actually). One recent post dished out advice about barking dog ordinances and another on how best to adjust ordinances to conform to Minnesota’s recent tattoo and body piercing statute. Under the auspice of the League of Minnesota Cities, which provides assistance to cities and towns across the state, it’s a fantastic resource for municipal attorneys everywhere. Go to LMC Codification Service | Tweet This | Share on Facebook
Minnesota Litigator
Seth Leventhal, the attorney behind Minnesota Litigator, has been blogging longer than most other Minnesota attorneys. He’s developed a gem of a blog that provides concise and informative updates on civil cases being litigated in Minnesota’s state and federal courts. If you are a litigator and want to get relevant and timely updates and tidbits about Minnesota cases, this is the best blawg for that. Go to Minnesota Litigator | Tweet This | Share on Facebook
Minnesota Supreme Court Criminal Blog
Although the bloggers at Minnesota Supreme Court Criminal Blog don’t post as often as we’d like, the authors have a wealth of experience that makes their in-depth criminal case analysis and unique perspective one of our favorite blogs. The principal author is Carol Weissenborn, a former chief public defender in southeast Minnesota who is now in private practice., with occasional (hey, post more!) posts by Thomas Solmer and retired Rice County District Court Judge William Johnson. Go to Minnesota Supreme Court Criminal Blog | Tweet This | Share on Facebook
MinnLawyer Blog
If you need to know what’s happening in the Minnesota legal community, read the MinnLawyer Blog. With running updates on local legal developments and insights gained from Minnesota Lawyer reporters, it’s the best source for Minnesota legal news and commentary. Though Mark Cohen is now a much-missed blogger at MinnLawyer Blog, Patrick Thornton, Barb Jones, and Michelle Lore have kept up the pace with their regular posts. Go to MinnLawyer Blog | Tweet This | Share on FacebookMNConsumerAttorneyBlog
We’ve got three consumer law blogs in our list, which includes Caveat Emptor Blog, Friedman Iverson Consumer Blog, and this one: MNConsumerAttorneyBlog. While it doesn’t have the most glamorous name, we don’t think consumers who have been ripped off, defrauded, or harassed would prefer polish over substance. MNConsumerBlog is straightforward and direct, all the way down to how the author introduces herself: “My name is Anne Hansen, and I help people who are being harassed by debt collectors.” It’s a relatively new blog (the first posts appeared in July), but already Anne’s added 40 posts on debt collection tactics, bankruptcy, and consumer-oriented issues. Our bet is that it will appear on our list again next year. Go to MNConsumerAttorneyBlog | Tweet This | Share on FacebookNot for the Monosyllabic
OK, we’ll be upfront about this one. We had lively arguments about whether Not for the Monosyllabic should even make our list. It is a rambling, loosely-written, and hard to characterize blog that breaks a lot of our rules. But because Not for the Monosyllabic breaks those rules– and does so with abandon– Greg insisted that it be included. The primary focus of the blog is the life of an overworked and superstressed assistant public defender, but the blog actually goes back to 2004 when the author (who remains anonymous) first considered applying to law school. Yeah, the orange on black design and the photo of Calista Flockhart (otherwise known as Ally McBeal) is cheesy. Sure, the blog uses terms such as “suckfest” and “effing sucks.” But that’s what appeals to us (or at least to Greg). Is it a case of “it’s so bad that it’s good?” No. It’s a case of “it’s so honest, open, and freely written that it’s a throwback to the time when blogging was young, fresh, and sloppily real.” In other words, it actually describes the hectic and overstressed life of a public defender trying to juggle too many criminal cases at a time. Don’t agree with us? Talk to Greg. Better yet, read this post. Go to Not for the Monosyllabic | Tweet This | Share on FacebookON Securities
If the BigLaw blogging trend is to collect a team of attorneys and churn out content, ON Securities is clearly swimming against that trend. Martin Rosenbaum authors ON Securities, a blog dedicated to “securities, governance, and executive compensation issues.” But, despite being a partner in the 80+ attorney Maslon firm, there’s no team of attorneys behind the scenes. It’s just Martin, writing timely content about issues facing public companies. On top of that, he offers an extremely useful “cheat sheet” that he characterizes as a “one stop shop” for the latest developments in executive compensation and governance. We call this one the best blawg by a lone attorney at a big time firm. Go to ON Securities | Tweet This | Share on Facebook
Pro and Contracts
Graham Martin posts on all things contracts, with a practical approach of examining contract language and contract drafting. Bottom Line? Read this for its great weekly feature known as Fine Print Friday, where Graham examines everything from the fine print of an ebay User Agreement to the small print you agree to when you park your car in a parking ramp. A great new blog with fresh content from a fairly new attorney. Go to Pro and Contracts | Tweet This | Share on FacebookQuirky Questions? Real Life Employment Law
First of all, the use of quirky in the title is a plus. It’s just a great word. Second, Quirky Questions is a big law firm blog that maintains an accessible approach to employment law issues. Written primarily by Dorsey & Whitney attorney Roy Ginsburg, Quirky Questions posts an employment law question on Monday and answers the question on the following Monday. There are other posts in between but the questions and answers here are the real stars, especially since the questions come from clients or other employment law attorneys. How, for example, would you answer this: We have several employees who periodically engage in somewhat bawdy behavior outside of work. (Surprise, surprise, sometimes alcohol is involved.) We don’t believe this behavior is consistent with the image our company would like to project. Can we discipline these employees for their conduct? Or this: Can we terminate a spouse of another employee we are terminating? Go to Quirky Questions | Tweet This | Share on Facebook
Ramsey County Law Library Blog
Librarians get a bad rap, and we trace it back to the Christmas classic “It’s a Wonderful Life” (if you don’t know which scene we’re talking about, start at minute 7:19 of this clip). But there are some great blogs out there from librarians. Nationally, one of our favorites is 3 Geeks and a Law Blog, though only one of the three geeks is a librarian. Locally, we’ve got the Ramsey County Law Library Blog, which mixes resources for small firm and solo attorneys with judicial portraits of former Ramsey County district court judges. Not only that, the RCLL has a Twitter feed that tweets useful tips and the latest legal news. Go to Ramsey County Law Library Blog | Tweet This | Share on Facebook
RU@Risk
Of all the blogs listed, RU@Risk is potentially the most useful and important to all attorneys. Why? Because it discusses risk management for lawyers, so it is only fitting that the author, Todd Scott, is the Vice President of Member Services at Minnesota Lawyer’s Mutual. It is one of the few blogs in the nation devoted entirely to educating lawyers about malpractice. Our only complaint? Along with the Bilingual Attorney Blog, RU@Risk is in our category of “Blawgs We Wish Would Post More Often.” Go to RU@Risk | Tweet This | Share on Facebook
Rural Lawyer
Bruce Cameron is a Minnesota attorney who practices law in Mazeppa, Minnesota, population 778. If you need to look Mazeppa up on Google Maps, you are not alone. Even if you haven’t heard of Mazeppa, you’ve probably heard about or read RuralLawyer, hands down one of the best legal blogs out there. Read his post “Small Town Courting” and you understand the practical difference between a small-town courthouse and a big-city justice center. Bruce is now writing a handbook “for new grads and unemployed BigLaw associates who dream about leaving the big city to practice law in a smaller, less frantically paced small town or rural community.” RuralLawyer is dubbed the “Blawg Most Likely to Make You Feel Like You’re Sitting on the Porch of a Farmhouse Watching the Sunrise with your Laptop and Coffee.” Go to RuralLawyer | Tweet This | Share on Facebook
Tyler E. White Blog
Here’s another new solo blog we like because it’s accessible to non-lawyers. Although it first hit our radar when a post got noticed by LegalZoom, there are many other reasons to keep reading this blog (or at least glean some blogging tips): The blawg is easy to understand, uses photos well, has great design and website integration, and — most of all — it’s fun and relevant, complete with movie references and examples that “normal” people can relate to. Tyler White just announced a blogging sabbatical while he’s in training for the Air Force JAG Corps, but we’ll give him a pass if he promises to start writing again this spring. Go to Attorney Tyler E. White Blog | Tweet This | Share on Facebook
Virtual Navigator
A number of law professors blog nationally on all sorts of topics, but one of the more interesting is by a local attorney (and adjunct law professor at William Mitchell) who blogs about the intersection of the law and virtual worlds, as in Farmville, Second Life, and the like. Justin Kwong asks questions such as “Do social networks need a universal bill of rights?” or “What’s the legal status of ‘virtual goods’ that you purchase online, such as items bought and sold on Second Life?” It’s a fairly new blog and seems to still have some design and writing kinks to work out (it makes the classic WordPress gaffe of leaving posts categorized as “Uncategorized”) but we hope to see it in our list again next year. Go to Virtual Navigator | Tweet This | Share on Facebook
Minnesota Estate Law Blog
If you are counting our selections, our final choice is out of alphabetical order and is actually number 26, but it deserves an honorable mention. While author Boyd Johnson has moved onto bigger and better things, the estate planning and probate blog that he left behind still serves as a great resource for Minnesota attorneys. Posts are as clear and concise as many of the blogs written for clients, but its content is equally useful to attorneys. In particular, check out the Probate Guide and the series on How to Grow a Probate Practice. Go to Minnesota Estate Law Blog | Tweet This | Share on Facebook
The Tricky Business of Lawyer Advertising by Seth Leventhal | Minnesota Litigator
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Eric Palmer
This is a great list of Minnesota legal blogs. Thanks much for the resource.
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Kenneth Kunkle
Thanks for the shout-out! Looks like Legal Muse is some great company.
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