The Best Blogs Around

A few years ago, it seemed like everyone was starting a blog, or at least talking about doing so. Thousands of new blogs and specialty websites were launched with the hope of attracting a large following, and maybe even making some money.

But lately, the Great Blog Boom has waned. By some estimates, up to 80 percent of all blogs are abandoned in the first month.

However, many law blogs and websites continue to flourish. That may be because the ever-changing interpretation of the law provides plenty of fresh material. Or maybe lawyers just have more to say than most folks.

Here's a roundup of some of the most popular legal blogs and websites.

The Wall Street Journal's Law Blog
The country's most popular business daily happens to have one of the smartest legal blogs around. The Wall Street Journal's Law Blog covers important legal cases, trends, and personalities that are of particular interest to the business community. Since so much of what happens in American jurisprudence affects business, that's a fairly broad mandate, and the Journal's law blog distinguishes itself with insightful coverage. Its lead writer is Ashby Jones, a lawyer who has covered the legal and business communities for more than a decade as a journalist, and has also worked as a litigator.

You can search the blog's legal notices by category (such as Probate, Guardianship and Adoption; Business and Corporate; and Public Finance and Taxation) and there's a running log of the blog's most popular entries. Best of all, the blog is free, unlike most things from the Wall Street Journal.

Althouse
Althouse is written by Ann Althouse, a law professor at the University of Wisconsin who once practiced in the litigation department of Sullivan & Cromwell. Since 2004, she's been the voice of one of the most popular law blogs on the Web, providing fresh and sometimes quirky and controversial commentary on law, politics, and popular culture. (In 2009 she became a story herself when she announced her engagement to a commenter she'd met through her own blog.)

Often, Althouse poses a legal or ethical question and asks readers to weigh in, as with a recent posting about whether psychiatrists should offer opinions about the mental conditions of public figures in the news. Many of her posts receive more than 50 comments from readers, a level of participation that most bloggers can only dream of.

SCOTUSblog
When it comes to covering the highest court in the land, few sites do a better job than SCOTUSblog, founded in 2002 by lawyers Tom Goldstein and Amy Howe. The site covers Supreme Court decisions in real time, sometimes live-blogging as decisions are handed down. The blog reports on every merits case before the Court at least three times: prior to argument, after argument, and after the decision. Sometimes they invite the advocates to record summaries of their arguments for podcasts. The site provides access to all briefs for the cases and petitions it covers.

SCOTUSblog also posts broader analytical pieces on recent opinions and provides a roundup of Supreme Court coverage from around the Web every business day. A calendar lists dates for significant activity at the Court and programs relating to it. In short, SCOTUSblog is a great one-stop shop for catching up on what the high court is doing and what it means.

Above the Law
Above the Law bills itself as "a legal tabloid," taking a cheeky, behind-the-scenes look at the world of law. The site provides news and gossip about the legal profession's notable players and powerful institutions, and offers original commentary on breaking legal developments.

Many of the stories read like they were written by an irreverent associate at a law firm. One recent story carried the headline "Ex-Cravath Partner Nominated to the Southern District of NY Is Pretty Stinking Rich." Another story reported on "Possibly the Most Hypocritical Commencement Speech Ever," about an Emory University School of Law professor's address exhorting graduates--who had just ponied up hefty sums for a law degree--to be "givers, not takers." Reading Above the Law may not advance your legal career, but it'll probably give you a smile or two.

The Volokh Conspiracy
This is a group blog written, for the most part, by law professors. The site's cofounders are brothers: Alexander "Sasha" Volokh is a professor at Emory, and Eugene Volokh is a professor at UCLA School of Law.

Not surprisingly, The Volokh Conspiracy has a scholarly bent, covering U.S. legal and political issues from a somewhat libertarian-to-conservative point of view. Recent posts include a detailed discussion of whether habeas proceedings should be stayed if the petitioner is incompetent, and an explanation of the "hell-or-high-water clause"--a provision that requires a lessee to absolutely and unconditionally fulfill contractual obligations under the lease in all events. Some of the articles reflect the contributors' academic bent, but for the most part the Volokh Conspiracy is an engaging and serious-minded look at current legal issues.

Ms. JD
This site aims to change the legal profession from a male-dominated citadel to something more inclusive. Founded at Stanford Law School in 2006 by a group of female law students from various schools, Ms. JD is a serious website about women and the law that doesn't take itself too seriously. Stories about women attorneys breaking barriers share space with practical articles about networking, and discussions about whether female lawyers are taken less seriously if they wear makeup to work. Readers also can join the Ms. JD Network to bolster their professional contacts.

Bitter Lawyer
When the going gets tough, you can always turn to Bitter Lawyer, a legal humor and news blog aimed at disgruntled attorneys. Talk about a large target audience. Besides some reliably biting commentaries, not all of which are suitable for sharing at work, the site offers an advice column that features war stories from disaffected associates. Bitter Lawyer also interviews people who once were lawyers but have since made a name for themselves in another profession. For the disgruntled attorney, Bitter Lawyer is a reminder that it's OK to feel that way once in awhile. Just don't let one of the partners catch you reading it.

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