As a lawyer, you write for a living. You can effortlessly switch from non-technical language in emails to clients to dense prose laden with Latin terms in a formal complaint. Why, then, does it fill you with trepidation to write a blog? In most of the writing you do for your job, you have a mental image of the person who will be reading your text, for example, a client or a judge. Blogs, by nature, are out there on the Internet, where everyone can read them, from prospective clients to introverts looking to unwind between social interactions to professional haters.
Of course, the key to completing any piece of writing is to envision its structure as a template before you start writing. This is true of divorce petitions and Ph.D. dissertations, and it is true of blog posts. There is more than one way to structure an effective blog post for your law firm, but if you really have writer’s block, the kind of post that practically writes itself is the kind about a real-life case and the legal principles it illustrates.
The Law, an Example, and a Call to Action
Imagine that you are a personal injury lawyer writing a blog post about dram shop liability, the law that states that when a drunk driver injures someone in a car accident, the injured person can sue the bar that served alcohol to the drunk driver and then let him drive drunk. Your post should have the following parts:
· Title: In blog posts, start with a punchline that is eye-catching without crossing the line into clickbait. For example, “In [Your State], You Can Sue the Bar That Served Alcohol to the Drunk Driver Who Hit You.”
· Introduction: In the first paragraph, give examples of why your ideal reader (someone who lives in your jurisdiction and might need a personal injury lawyer) might want to sue a place of business. Explain that these scenarios are called “premises liability.”
· Law Lesson: Explain that dram shop liability is a type of premises liability. Cite and paraphrase your state’s statute on dram shop liability. You might explain the history of your state’s dram shop law, if you can find information on it.
· Example Case: Summarize a real dram shop liability case that was decided by a court in your state. Regardless of whether the plaintiff or the defendant won, explain the judge’s reasoning as it relates to your state’s dram shop liability law.
· Call to Action: Encourage the reader to contact you if they have been injured in a car accident. Extend this invitation to all people injured in preventable accidents, not only those injured in car accidents caused by drunk drivers.
Get Legal Content Writing Help
Still have writer’s block? Outsourcing your blog content is great, but don’t take a chance on a generic content marketing firm. You can count on Law Blog Writers to create interesting, informative blog content on topics that will resonate with your prospective clients.