I have long ago lost count of how many lawyer blogs I have read.

Many firms where I have coached had no blogs before I started coaching there and now they have well over 10 blogs. You might be a lawyer in one of those firms.

Recently I was asked why lawyers who are blogging regularly are not doing better on client development. I believe there are many potential reasons.

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  • They aren’t picking topics their potential readers care about. Remember, potential client readers only care about their problems, opportunities and changes.
  • They just report on the latest case in their subject area without letting readers know what the case means. If the case is a big one, the reader likely saw the article about it in the New York Times, or  your hometown newspaper. Potential clients don’t care a lot about your journalism skills. They care about your judgment.
  • They aren’t making it easy for potential readers to find their blog. If someone did a search of the legal topic of your blog, would they find it?
  • They write as if the reader is a federal circuit court judge. Business clients don’t want to read a legal brief.
  • The blog posts are too long. People who read blogs want the USA Today version, not the Atlantic Monthly version.
  • They aren’t building a trust based personal relationship with their readers. When I read the best lawyer blogs, I feel like I know the writer even if I have never met her. Don’t be afraid to show some personality.
  • Their blog is hard to read on a computer, more difficult on a tablet and impossible on a smart phone. Check your font size, the length of your paragraphs, and the amount of white space.
  • They aren’t using the social media tools available to bring targeted readers to their blog. It takes very little time to use these tools.
  • They don’t consistently post. They might post two in a week and not post again for a month.

I contend that a blog is an on-line conversation with readers designed to build trust and rapport. The lawyer blogs I like the most make me feel like I am learning about the subject of the blog AND THE BLOGGER over coffee at a coffee shop.

How well are you explaining the subject of the blog? How well are you letting the reader get to know what kind of lawyer and person you are?