Readers Make Their Choices
In the 2nd Annual ABA Journal Blawg 100 contest, readers voted for their favorites from the legal blogs selected by our editors in December. From nearly 24,000 ballots cast, here are the top vote-getters in 10 categories this year:
NEWS & POLITICS
Above the Law</br/> ATL founder David Lat moved on and up to Breaking Media. Elie Mystal replaced him in an Idol-style competition, but ATL is still law-firm-rumor central, and Lat remains a regular contributor.
PLUGGED IN
TechnoLawyer Blog</br/> Onetime New York City commercial litigator Neil J. Squillante attempts to cover “all the legal technology and practice management news that’s fit to blog.” Features include BlawgWorld, a free annual e-book that showcases essays from influential blogs.
CRIME TIME
Defending People</br/> Mark Bennett shares insights and anecdotes from his Houston criminal defense practice, focusing on how lawyers can make their own justice in the courtroom.
LEGAL THEORY
Jonathan Turley</br/> The George Washington University law professor keeps his posts short and entertaining while focusing on outrageous criminal justice and tort stories in the mainstream media—with his scholarly take on how these cases will end.
NICHE
Patently-O</br/> Law professor Dennis Crouch of the University of Missouri has developed a loyal community around his summaries of key decisions or patent law cases of interest, as well as a job board and an event calendar.
QUIRKY
BabyBarista</br/> Fun from across the pond: the fictional diary of a junior barrister at the English bar. The London Times picked it up within months of its 2006 launch. It’s part soap opera and part snark from an author who’s cheesed off with the legal profession.
J.D.S IN TRAINING
Thank You Ma’am</br/> University of Alabama law student Sharon Nichols turned her political posts into a book deal. Her Facebook group, I Judge You When You Use Poor Grammar, led to a forthcoming book by the same name.
E-LISTENING [Tie]
Lawyer2Lawyer</br/> Podcasters J. Craig Williams of Newport Beach, Calif., and Robert Ambrogi of Rockport, Mass., feature timely topics and guests whose perspectives add context to legal affairs issues in the news.
LexisNexis Legal News & Litigation Report</br/> You get a whole menu of daily law news options—general legal news, insurance law news, environmental law news or news from California and New York—from this high-end podcast.
LOCATION FIXED
China Law Blog</br/> Two (American) insiders, Dan Harris and Steve Dickinson of Seattle-based Harris & Moure, write about how to succeed in this international practice—as well as offer frequent, fascinating cultural notes.
PRACTICE/CAREER MANAGEMENT
Temporary Attorney</br/> The author of this blog, who goes by the name “helpme123,” seeks to blow the whistle on “nasty sweatshops, swindling law schools and opportunistic staffing agencies,” especially if the victims are contract attorneys.
