The Great Change: Turning Cathy into a Lawyer

I met a law student last night who felt somewhat nervous about the fact that she did not have a blog. Did she need to start one, she fretted.

It may surprise readers here to learn that my advice to her on starting one was somewhat tepid: only if she felt she really wanted to.

This advice is similar to advice I'd give to aspiring law students - only do it if you're sure it's what you want. Both law school and blogging have significant downsides; they should only be undertaken if there are sufficient upsides to balance out (if not also drown out) the bad.

I did note with interest a post I saw recently that was extremely enthusiastic about law students blogging. As a law student who did blog I appreciate the zeal, because the more people in the world who regard what I've done favorably the better off I am. In the past few years blogging, including law student blogging, has received increased respect, but there are still an awful lot of people who regard me as if I have two heads because I do so. If you're going to undertake a blog you are going to need to be prepared to deal with that kind of attitude, at least by having your own strong sense of why you think you should be doing this.

So I might counsel caution before taking that other post's unrestrained advice to heart. I don't think blogging is right for all people. However I do think the reasons in favor of blogging are valid for at least most. It's a chance to practice writing. A chance to build a portfolio of work. A chance to reflect on law. A chance to share what you know with other people. Etc.

These are all good things and my advice is anything but tepid in recommending law students pursue them. But they don't necessarily require starting your own blog. Indeed, having your own blog can undermine these goals. Blogs take work, both technically and in terms of audience nurturing. If you don't write, no one will read you and, worse, the audience you might have had will wander away. But if you write too often, you might write drivel, and the audience you have might had will also then wander away. Figuring out your own voice is a tricky thing to do, and remember you'll be doing it while you're also figuring out this new career.

Which doesn't mean it's not worth doing; it just means it needs careful doing. Including by pursuing other alternatives. Write because it's worth writing. Think about things because they are worth thinking about. And publish because it's worth publishing and telling people what you have to say - but find the appropriate avenues to do it. Send essays to traditional publications, for instance. Or perhaps submit guest posts to other existing and/or group blogs. Capture all the upsides of being a blogger while minimizing the downsides.

Of course, for some there is no substitute, and if you are one of those people my advice would be an unqualified "go for it." To own your own press, to be able to fully control your own communications outlet, to be able to directly connect with the world as you want to - these are wonderful things, the privileges of living in a free society where such things are allowed. If you can't imagine being satisfied with anything less, then by all means don't.