Tips for Writing an Attorney Blog

Blogs are a fairly standard and expected practice in the legal industry; potential clients researching a lawyer or law firm might be disappointed to find a non-existent or sparsely updated blog. Attorney blogs are a great way to answer some of the most common questions your clients have without replying in great length to individual messages. Additionally, they provide a great way for attorneys to show off their industry knowledge and experience, building on their credibility and improving their reputation. The idea of writing a blog can be intimidating, and it can be hard to know where to start, but starting and keeping up with an attorney blog does not have to be stressful and time-consuming.

Focus on the questions your target market should be asking.

If figuring out a topic to write about is one of the challenges you face with your blog, this can be easily remedied. As lawyers, there are probably certain questions you get more often than not from concerned or curious clients and potential clients. Addressing each of these questions in a blog post is not only a great way to save yourself time in the future, but will also be particularly valuable to your readers.

Similarly, think about the questions your clients and potential clients should be asking. What is something they should know about your practice area, case type, or law in general? Writing on these topics not only shows off your experience but also presents the author as an empathetic and understanding professional who knows their clients well enough to predict their needs.

Be concise.

Blog posts don’t need to be long. On average, blog posts tend to sit around 1,000 words. However, depending on the topic, you may be able to address the matter in fewer words. A good word count range for most blog articles is 500-1500 words. Posts that are too long might feel unmanageable or daunting for readers, whereas blogs that are too short can look unfinished or lazy.

However, conciseness also applies to the way the blogs are written. Long, run-on sentences not only look unprofessional, but they tend to be less impactful. If you can communicate the same message in a 10-word or 20-word sentence, it’s generally better to choose the 10-word sentence. Similarly, restating the same point over and over again is actually more likely to annoy your reader than increase their comprehension of the content. Whenever you are writing a blog post, make your point well enough the first time that you don’t have to repeat it. This will also help prevent unreasonable long word counts.

Stay on schedule.

One of the biggest mistakes attorneys make is failing to stick to some sort of schedule regarding their blog. Posting once a day is probably out of the question for most attorneys, and that’s fine. However, posting once every few months or whenever you remember is also a bad idea.

Consider what kind of schedule you can commit to; if you work in a law firm, see if others are willing to contribute to the blog as well. Posting one or two new articles a week is fairly typical, but others may choose to post more or less often based on what their schedule can handle.

A good way to think about it is to consider your current blog schedule and figure out how many posts you’ll have by the end of the year if you stay consistent; if you post once a month, this would be 12 articles, which isn’t much. While you can certainly write and publish new posts when they come to mind or if they are particularly timely, it’s also a good idea to figure out which day of the week you plan to post something new, and then stick to that schedule as much as possible.

Avoid legal jargon.

The legal industry is known for using highly specific language that the average non-lawyer has a hard time understanding. Whenever you are creating content for new or potential clients, write in terms your audience will understand. In most cases, this means avoiding unnecessary legal jargon, or explaining in common words what an important piece of legal jargon means.

Another benefit of using plain language to write a legal blog is that your readers are more likely to relate to you. Take the opportunity to communicate with warmth, understanding, and confidence to potential clients, encouraging them to reach out by virtue of not only your training and industry experience but also your personality and written voice as well.

For more tips about attorney and law firm blogging, or for help creating your own articles, reach out to AskTheLawyers™.