Blawg 100 | ABA Journal

The 2008 ABA Journal Blawg 100

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

The voting period has ended.

Thank you to all who participated. The final results are listed below.

For a printable list of all 100 blogs, click here. Check out the mini profiles of Ann Althouse, Ernie Svenson and Jurist-Paper Chase. For our list of One-Hit Wonders, click here.

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1569
votes

Patently-O

We believe Patently-O’s claim that it’s the most popular patent law blog around. Author Dennis Crouch, a law professor at the University of Missouri, has developed a loyal community around summaries of key decisions or patent law cases of interest, as well as a job board and an event calendar. And last time we checked, Patently-O’s Facebook group had more than 800 members.
844
votes

The Pop Tort

It’s not just because the name reminds us of those tasty toaster treats that we like this blog. The Pop Tort takes a witty, clever and irresistibly irreverent approach to otherwise weighty consumer advocacy issues. Launched in January, it’s also the Center for Justice & Democracy’s latest riposte to the tort reform movement.
446
votes

Overlawyered

A daily chronicle of tort and legal ethics cases that, much to Walter Olson’s dismay, make it to court. Olson, a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute in New York City who started this blog in 1999, says he was the first legal blogger—and no one’s disputing that. He’s also embraced Twitter and does the heavy lifting over at PointofLaw.com, which has more of a straight legal news focus.
265
votes

SCOTUSblog

In its seventh year, Thomas C. Goldstein’s SCOTUSblog is a primary source of high court news and analysis. Lyle Denniston is quick to post the gist of opinions—whether unanimous or fractured—as soon as they are released by “the Nine.” He, Goldstein and the other regular contributors then circle back to add detail, transcripts, analysis and context to the decisions of the day. News from the court can come so fast that SCOTUSblog has begun using live-blogging features to more sanely report breaking news from the court.
254
votes

Taxgirl

Fighting for truth, justice and the American way is Kelly Phillips Erb as Taxgirl. A straight shooter who answers all tax questions large and small, Erb of Philadelphia has turned her passion for a practice area that makes some lawyers shudder into a career, a creative outlet and a way to interact with the public.
215
votes

Bankruptcy Law Network

Have trouble sorting through all the credit and bankruptcy rhetoric during the presidential campaign? The Bankruptcy Law Network, a group of seasoned consumer advocates and bankruptcy lawyers, was quick to post about these issues both in context and in plain English.
126
votes

Drug and Device Law

From the pharmaceutical and medical-device product liability litigation corner of the blogosphere, there’s no beating this defense-oriented blog. Seasoned defense lawyers Jim Beck of Philadelphia and Mark Herrmann of Chicago, along with authoritative guest contributors, pick apart rulings and explore issues common to this niche practice.
104
votes

Religion Clause

You’d think that a blog by a former SEC lawyer and cybersecurities expert would be, well, about securities law. But since 2005, Toledo, Ohio, lawyer Howard M. Friedman has fed his other passion with his daily flurry of posts devoted to news, issues and commentary relating to the free exercise of religion and church-state separation. His posts often involve the fascinating intersection of religious law and secular law.
95
votes

Brian Leiter’s Law School Reports

Tired of blithely following U.S. News & World Report rankings, University of Chicago law professor Brian Leiter decided to use the bully pulpit of his blog to rank law schools his way: by law prof publication rate, for one. His blog is also a go-to spot for the latest academic job openings, prof salaries and other law school news.
81
votes

CAAFlog

This all-points-military blog came to our attention when its post on a glaring SCOTUS omission landed on the front page of the New York Times and led to a request that the court reconsider a decision banning capital punishment for child rape. Contributors include current and former Navy JAG officers and military judges. Though we’d prefer to see posts organized by topic, we like the courts-martial news roundups and takes on important military law developments.
74
votes

Sports Law Blog

It’s not all fun and games here, where posts from law profs and others tackle all things from the nexus of law and sports. Think the Chicago Cubs’ playoff curse is off-topic? You’d be wrong. In an October post, contributor Howard Wasserman, a law professor at Florida International University, argued that the Cubs may have cursed themselves on the way to their last World Series victory in 1908 by winning a key game against the Giants with an act of “legal formalism.”
63
votes

Deliberations

Those who are looking for insights into what makes a jury tick will find answers at Deliberations, a smart, captivating blog by Milwaukee’s Anne Reed, a trial lawyer and jury consultant. Her posts and analyses are conversational, smattered with enough jury news-of-the-weird to satisfy a general audience. Don’t miss her “juror misconduct” category and the “American Gallery of Juror Art.”
45
votes

Legal Ethics Forum

The 15 law professors who make up the Legal Ethics Forum home in on news, opinions and questions dealing with the ethical practice of law. Many of the posts take a decidedly academic approach, but there are enough cautionary tales of lawyers and judges behaving badly to give the blog a broad appeal.
42
votes

Legal Profession Blog

Sometimes the legal ethics-oriented law profs at Legal Profession Blog slip off topic. But even in those instances, their commentary generally centers around the ethical business practices that apply to lawyers. The bread-and-butter posts here involve lawyer discipline, though anything that involves lawyer conduct and the practice of law is fair game.
32
votes

Law & Disorder Section - Ars Technica

Trying to keep up with developments in Internet and intellectual property law can make anyone’s head spin. But the eclectic mix of staff and contributors to the Law & Disorder section of Ars Technica have turned their coverage into an art form—the art of covering technology law, at least.