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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.
Voting is now closed.
News: There’s everything here from hard news coverage of the law and the legal industry to a more tabloid-oriented, infotainment approach to covering lawyers and where they work.
355
votes
Above the Law
Breaking Media’s Above the Law is developing into a legal publishing empire, with streams on BigLaw, small firms, in-house, law schools and legal technology. Blogger Ken Adams of Koncision Contract Automation in Garden City, N.Y., says he’s “way older than the target demographic,” but nevertheless he finds “Elie Mystal to be the most engaging writer in the legal blogosphere.” Adams says Mystal is “combative, entertaining” and refreshingly self-deprecating. We agree.
102
votes
Law Blog
For most of the year, former BigLaw litigator Nathan Koppel held the reins at this Wall Street Journal blog. He grabbed hold of breaking legal news and reactions to significant legal de velopments while staying on top of the business of law firms (from layoffs to big hires) and covering the cases and court decisions affecting the business community. He heads to Texas for the WSJ, and we hope his successor picks up where Koppel left off.
84
votes
The Am Law Daily
To get a quick take on the goings-on at large law firms in the U.S. and increasingly abroad, this is a go-to American Lawyer magazine blog. It offers quick, insightful takes on firms working the big deals, the career paths of rainmakers, the churn of partners jumping from one firm to another, legal industry growth areas and weak spots putting practices (and sometimes firms) at risk.
74
votes
FP Legal Post
The financial section of Canada’s National Post points readers north and south of the border to legal news they might otherwise have overlooked. Although the blog’s mission statement also includes “gossip,” many posts focus on deals, litigation, ethics, lawyer pay, firm management issues and legislation.
72
votes
LexisNexis Legal News & Litigation Report
For audio enthusiasts, LexisNexis Legal News offers a free way via podcast to get a daily dose of legal news and case activity updates.
61
votes
Jurist—Paper Chase
Stories here never lack for sources, always linking to original reports, legal documents and information on the people making news. Check out this site for frequent updates on the courts’ treatment of Guantanamo detainees.
55
votes
Legal Blog Watch
Legal Blog Watch has a knack for spotlighting the legal news of the weird. Posts are well-written and, as Lowering the Bar blogger Kevin Underhill says, “very witty and always interesting.”
55
votes
Law Shucks
Law Shucks is more than the legal tabloid it professes to be, and it quickly rose to the top of our list this year. It focuses on life in and after BigLaw. A hallmark of the site is the Layoff Tracker, which is increasingly being relied upon as the definitive countdown of how many attorneys have been laid off in the U.S. and U.K.
53
votes
The BLT: The Blog of Legal Times
Inside the Beltway, the National Law Journal’s BLT has the practice and politics of law covered. We’re particular fans of the blog’s gavel-to-gavel coverage of the high court (and its players) as lead writer Tony Mauro cuts through jargon, and wades through dense opinions and briefs to deliver easy-to-read posts featuring momentous cases and, on occasion, offering unique perspectives about the lesser-known side of SCOTUS.
49
votes
How Appealing
No trial practice advice here, but Willow Grove, Pa., appellate lawyer Howard Bashman digests the most relevant and interesting opinions, headlines, blog posts and press releases of interest to litigators for up to 16 hours a day every weekday. We defy you to open the home page and not feel compelled to click on a link.
31
votes
Bench Memos
Bench Memos is the National Review Online’s critical look at judges, jurisprudence and constitutional authority from a largely politically conservative perspective. A mainstay of the blog is “This Day in Liberal Judicial Activism,” a series primarily authored by Ed Whelan.
26
votes
Law & Disorder
Law & Disorder is the fast-paced, first-on-the-scene legal blog from the technology website Ars Technica. Posts track developments in Internet law and policy in the U.S. and abroad.
