Some lawyers are using their law firm blogs to promote their practices. Some lawyers are trying to radically overhaul the way legal services are delivered. A rare few are doing both at the same time. They are harnessing the marketing power of the blogosphere not by promoting their legal expertise, but by leading the charge against traditional ways of running law businesses and serving clients. They’re not doing it self-promotionally; they’re doing it because they fervently believe that the old ways of practicing law are fading away and that a new approach is imperative. Their fervor, and the fact that their own practices illustrate what they preach, gives them legitimacy in clients’ eyes, meaning that their blogs also turn out to be very innovative and effective marketing tools. To see the phenomenon in action, read In Search of Perfect Client Service (http://patricklamb.typepad.com), What About Clients? ( www.whataboutclients.com), The Greatest American Lawyer ( http://greatestamericanlawyer.typepad.com) and Chuck Newton Rides The Third Wave ( http://stayviolation.typepad.com/chucknewton), among others.

What these blogging lawyers represent by their examples is 21st-century legal marketing in action—the courage to publicly narrate your convictions about professionalism. This could be you. You don’t need to be blogging about your area of law. In many cases, your legal knowledge won’t greatly differentiate you from your competitors, and as time goes on, neither will some innovations in how you run your law practice. What will always distinguish you is your unique, personal commitment to clients and to the legal profession. Nobody else thinks or feels exactly the way you do about your calling, and that’s an unmatchable market advantage. Exemplify that commitment in what you do, and blog about it ceaselessly. “Be yourself” also means “blog