PA EE&F Law Blog ="Blawg of the Day"

On April 6, 2007, Thomas L. Mighell, Esq., of Dallas, Texas, noted this PA Elder, Estate & Fiduciary Law Blog as the "Blawg of the Day" on his well-known legal website & blog, "Inter Alia".

Friday, April 6, 2007 -- Blawg of the Day

The PA Elder, Estate and Fiduciary Law Blog is the publication of Neil Hendershot, a practicing and teaching lawyer in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. He describes the blog best himself: the blog is a resource "for law students, consumers, & professionals about developments affecting Elder Law, long-term care, "End-of-Life" & health care surrogate decision-making, estate & personal planning, fiduciary administrations (by agents under powers of attorney, custodians, guardians, executors/administrators, & trustees), elders' dispute resolution, and Orphans' Court litigation in this Commonwealth, with reference to trends nationally."

Tom has faithfully authored a legal "blawg" (his spelling) since August, 2002; and thereby became a pioneer & leader in this new online activity by lawyers. He described his activities as "dispensing helpful news and tips about Internet legal research as well as technology, legal and otherwise."

In 2004, Dennis Kennedy, Esq. awarded a first runner-up award to Tom's blog under the category "Best Legal Blog".

In January, 2005, Tom commented from his experiences & observations about legal "blogging" & "bloggers" -- listing eleven good ones -- in an article entitled "ABA TECHSHOW Bloggers".

The article was published by the American Bar Association's Law Practice Management Section in its magazine Law Practice Today, in November, 2005.

Blog: it’s Merriam-Webster’s most-searched-for definition of 2004. And yet according to a recent Pew Internet survey, only 38 percent of Internet users know what the term “blog” means.

Most readers of Law Practice Today don’t belong in that group, however. We not only know what blogs are, we appreciate how the better ones inform us and help us in our law practice

Here’s another interesting statistic for you: of the nearly 60 experts scheduled to speak at ABA TECHSHOW 2005, nearly 20 percent of them have law-related weblogs.

To me, that’s no surprise; bloggers are people who “get it.” They embrace new forms of technology, both for themselves and for their practice. Here's a brief (alphabetical) introduction to the ABA TECHSHOW speakers who also happen to be bloggers; if you aren't already reading these blogs on a daily basis, you should start, now. * * *

Tom now reports on his blog that he is co-authoring a book with Dennis Kennedy about internet collaboration tools for practical use by lawyers. Publication by the American Bar Association should occur in early 2008.

The book is tentatively titled "Collaboration Tools for Lawyers: Essential Ways to Work Together with Colleagues, Clients and Even Opposing Counsel". Read his posting about that topic & the book, here.

The book will provide intensely practical advice for lawyers and law firms wanting to take better advantage of these tools and the benefits they bring.

It will take a look at how to use these tools well, focus on both categories of tools and specific individual tools, and provide concrete action steps and techniques so that even the least tech-savvy lawyer can catch up with the early adopters and successful innovators.

It's nice to be noticed by a leader.