The 2009 ABA Journal Blawg 100

These are the 100 best Web sites by lawyers, for lawyers, as chosen by the editors of the ABA Journal.

Welcome to the third annual ABA Journal Blawg 100 - the best legal blogs as selected by the Journal's editors.

Our readers clued us in to a few law blogs we'd never seen before, and you'll find them among the 40 blawgs that are new to our list this year.

For a list of all 100 blawgs, complete with their companion Twitter feeds and extra quick takes, click here.

Readers who registered with ABAJournal.com were able to pick up to 10 favorite blawgs in the 10 categories below.


Click here for FAQ about the Blawg 100 and voting.

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426
votes

thecorporatecounsel.net

TheCorporateCounsel.net Blog

TheCorporateCounsel.net Blog takes mainstream news coverage of corporate governance issues and the Securities and Exchange Commission a step further with extra legwork and clear, concise analysis. Editor Broc Romanek still finds time for lightheartedness—like sharing short summer vacation videos from Paris with his readers.

 

204
votes

Patently-O

Patently-O

Patently-O University of Missouri law prof Dennis Crouch covers the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and Federal Circuit rulings, legislative rumblings on patent reform and available patent law jobs via his job board.

 

139
votes

SCOTUSblog

SCOTUSblog

SCOTUSblog is the place to go for up-to-the-minute coverage of the latest U.S. Supreme Court news, including moment-by-moment colorful commentary this summer during its live blog of Sonia Sotomayor’s confirmation hearings.

 

78
votes

Work Matters

Work Matters

Work Matters is written by Michael Maslanka, the managing partner of Ford & Harrison’s office in Dallas. His blog offers practical information and advice about legal is­sues, legislation and other matters of interest to employment practitioners.

 

75
votes

taxgirl

Taxgirl

TaxGirl is Philly solo Kelly Phillips Erb, who makes the case that tax law can be a fun read. Comments are so prolific that she’s had to revise her policy. She posts Friday polls to see where her lawyer-readers sit on tax law and answers questions from nonlawyer taxpayers on other days.

 

73
votes

IPWatchdog

IPWatchdog

IP Watchdog Did you sit down last Dec. 31 and draw up a list of patent wishes for 2009? Gene Quinn did. This Leesburg, Va.-based watchdog keeps tabs on the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, devours and analyzes draft reports on gene patents, and speculates on what the Obama administration will mean to patent law.

 

55
votes

Marler Blog

Marler Blog

Marler Blog is the flagship of Seattle lawyer Bill Marler’s fleet of 10 blogs devoted to food-borne illness. It covers reports of outbreaks and adds commentary on how governments and corporations should respond to them.

 

53
votes

HealthBlawg

HealthBlawg

HealthBlawg Health care law consultant David Harlow of Newton, Mass., covers health care legislation and regulations (both at the federal level and in his home state) as well as public health innovations in the private sector.

 

28
votes

Mediation Channel

Mediation Channel

Diane Levin of Mediation Channel covers ethical pitfalls, fallacious arguments (she features one a month) and cognitive errors that mediators encounter, often drawing on her own experiences as a practitioner based in Beverly, Mass.

 

28
votes

The Pop Tort

The Pop Tort

The Pop Tort This Center for Justice & Democracy blog covers tort law cases in the news with an unabashed pro-plaintiffs slant: As they say, if loving civil justice is wrong, they don’t want to be right. But the authors are definitely not asleep at the switch, writing daily impassioned posts with spunky commentary and art elements.

 

24
votes

Citizen Media Law Project

Citizen Media Law Project

These bloggers, who cover legal news stories of interest to media lawyers and bloggers, are definitely writing pros who produce timely, fun-to-read posts. They also naturally cover the actions of Harvard’s Citizen Media Law Project, which, among other things, tracks copyright infringement lawsuits directed at online publishers.

 

22
votes

Counterfeit Chic

Counterfeit Chic

Designer handbags and shoes sometimes need lawyers, too, a fact never forgotten by the witty Susan Scafidi, the first U.S. law prof to ever offer a fashion law course. Scafidi highlights IP fights in the fashion and advertising worlds with such verve that at times you’ll feel like you’re reading Vogue (which is always in Scafidi’s briefcase).

 

15
votes

Drug and Device Law

Drug and Device Law

At Drug and Device Law, two BigLaw practitioners write chatty posts on drug and medical device litigation from a defense POV. But Mark Herrmann’s off-topic posts about the legal blogosphere get notice from blawg-watchers like us.

 

13
votes

Green Building Law

Green Building Law Blog

At Green Building Law Blog, Philly’s Shari Shapiro digests legislation and research on green building law and explains its significance with enough personality and clarity that a layperson can understand and stay interested. Oc­casionally, she snags an expert interview for a post.

 

13
votes

FDA Law Blog

FDA Law Blog

At FDA Law Blog, lawyers from Hyman, Phelps & McNamara in Washington, D.C., cover conferences, court rulings and Federal Trade Commission actions related to the Food and Drug Administration, as well as FDA an­nouncements and draft guidance documents. It also tracks legislation and citizen petitions related to the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act.

 

11
votes

image

Copyrights & Campaigns

A main focus of Ben Sheffner’s blog this year has been the Recording Industry Association of America trials of Jammie Thomas-Rasset in Minneapolis and Joel Tenenbaum in Boston. He hopped planes to cover both via blog write-ups and Twitter. He continues his coverage, even as mainstream media interest wanes.