Law X.0: A Taxonomy of Legal Blogs

Note: The blogs in this category are focused on the laws of a particular state jurisdiction. This is not a collection of blogs with state names, or blogs which are merely located within the state. These blogs emphasize state law.

Return to the main Taxonomy of Legal Blogs page.

March 25, 2006 in A Taxonomy of Legal Blogs, Taxonomy: State Blogs | Permalink

Federal Circuit Blogs

Return to the main Taxonomy of Legal Blogs page.

March 25, 2006 in A Taxonomy of Legal Blogs, Taxonomy: Federal Circuit Blogs | Permalink

Now the Creation Begins...

The character of this blog - 3L Epiphany - is about to change. My future posts, for the next few days, will be focused mainly on my taxonomy. ln particular, I will be creating blog posts designed as "holders" for specific categories. Readers who visit consistently will see one post after another, sometimes containing legal blogs, but other times containing no blogs at all (i.e. just a title with no content). This is all for the sake of preparing repositories for the various legal blogs as I fit them into different classifications. These "holder" posts will be intermingled with explanatory posts, requests for reader feedback, and general posts on other topics. It may look somewhat chaotic, but the eventual result will form a structured and cohesive whole.

I expect that some readers might find this process very interesting. I will be creating the taxonomy online so that my methods and decisions are visible publicly, as opposed to working entirely behind the scenes (outside of public view) and displaying only the final product. I will also be asking readers for their opinions on occasion, and comments will always be open. This is one of the great advantages of blogging over traditional legal scholarship. I hope that readers enjoy watching the process of creation unfold, and playing a role in its ultimate consummation.

March 18, 2006 in A Taxonomy of Legal Blogs, Taxonomy Explanations | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Taxonomy: Statement of Intentions

I am currently compiling a list of legal blogs for my taxonomy. Soon I will make it available here as a preliminary "pool" for my research. I am going to provide readers the opportunity to name legal blogs that are missing from my list. Although I don't expect to be able to research every single existing legal blog, I at least want to begin with an exhaustive, over-inclusive collection.

I have already collected exactly 475 legal blogs. I will lengthen this list as time allows. My current list includes blogs which are no longer active (i.e. the blogger hasn't posted for several months or more), and also blogs that are not necessarily "legal" (i.e. blogs that are not focused on law, but are written by lawyers). There are many decisions I will be making over the next few weeks about which blogs to include and how best to categorize them. I will be pruning away blogs that are not appropriate for inclusion in a legal blog taxonomy. I will describe my reasons and decisions online, and will invite comments and suggestions from readers.

Here are is a preliminary statement of my intentions for this taxonomy of legal blogs:

1. I will be focusing on blogs by legal practitioners and law professors. I will not be including law student blogs, simply because there are too many and they are much more difficult to locate and categorize.

2. I will be focusing on American legal blogs. It would be too impractical for me to incorporate foreign legal blogs.

3. I will include the following categories in my taxonomy. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list, nor will I definitely include each category.

Solo blogs.
Group blogs: small group (2-5 contributors), medium group (6-10), large group (11 and up).
Law firm blogs: size of firm, and number of contributors.
Professor blogs: tenured and untenured.
Defunct blogs: blogs no longer active (but still online).
Jurisdictional scope: federal, circuit, state, city, county.
Legal specialty.
Frequency of posting: light (less than 1 post a week), medium (between 1 post a week, and an average of 1 a day), and heavy (average more than 1 post a day).
Duration of blog: how long online.
Intensity of traffic: light, medium, and heavy (measurement still to be determined).

4. This list above represents initial ideas. I am open to suggestions for new categories, or for ways that the list can be improved. Readers can leave a comment below, or email me here.

March 6, 2006 in A Taxonomy of Legal Blogs | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBack

Taxonomy: Legal Specialties

I have begun collecting blogs according to legal specialty. I list a sampling below of specialties that have at least four blogs. Even within a given specialty, the blogs are remarkably dissimilar. Some are from solo practitioners, while some are from law firms or even national associations. Some give updates on legal news, some give political observations, and others give practical advice. A difficulty in carrying out this project is that each blog usually contains something worth reading. To collect examples takes time, unless one refuses to read all the interesting posts. Furthermore, almost every blog has a "blogroll," listing even more blogs that deserve attention. To keep on top of all this variety is daunting.

Classifying according to legal specialty is an easy and obvious method, but still requires consideration about how to make it most effective. Some categories overlap, and some specialty blogs go beyond their stated reach. The samples below illustrate the diversity existing even within specialty blogs. To compile this list, I used Blawg.org, Blawg Republic, Google, and the blogrolls of visited blogs.

One initial observation: The specialty with the most legal blogs by far is Intellectual Property Law.

Admiralty Law

Admiralty, Boating, and Maritime Law Podcasts

Boating Safety Law and News

LawBoat.com

Proctor in Admiralty

Alternative Dispute Resolution

Florida Mediator

National Arbitration Forum Blog

Online Guide to Mediation

Ross’s Arbitration Blog

Antitrust Law