July 21, 2021 – “I have a lot of opinions and a lot of things to say,” says attorney Stacie Rosenzweig, who launched a legal blog called Ethicking in 2019. “I wanted a place to say them that was more formal than ranting on social media.”
Rosenzweig, an attorney with Halling & Cayo S. C., says her blog posts are a little snarky at times, a reflection of her personality. When talking about legal ethics, you have to get creative, she says. Rosenzweig often uses current events as a springboard.
“A lot of the topics are generally applicable,” Rosenzweig said. “Sometimes I use those national events as a jumping off point for a more nuanced discussion about what would happen in Wisconsin or what lawyers need to watch out for.”
Rosenzweig is just one of more than 70 active legal bloggers in Wisconsin. In the last year, more than 40 of them have joined WisLawNOW, hosted by the State Bar of Wisconsin.
WisLawNOW, launched a year ago, is an online community for Wisconsin legal bloggers. The platform brings together member-generated content under a single website. The site allows bloggers to increase their reach and visibility with a hassle free way for readers to find and subscribe to blogs they may be interested in following.
“I have a lot of opinions and a lot of things to say,” says attorney Stacie Rosenzweig, who launched a legal blog called Ethicking in 2019. “I wanted a place to say them that was more formal than ranting on social media.”
State Bar members can visit WisLawNOW to see the latest content published by Wisconsin legal bloggers on a daily basis, with easy navigation and search tools to locate blog posts on specific topic areas. Members also receive an email digest bimonthly with some of the best content featured in WisLawNOW.
WisLawNOW is also accessible to the public, which may be searching for subject matter experts in a given practice area. The mobile friendly and responsive platform is helping Wisconsin law bloggers connect with other lawyers and the public.
More than 700 Posts
In the last year, WisLawNOW bloggers posted more than 700 articles on a wide range of topics, including continuing coverage of COVID-19 related issues and developments in other areas of law. From big firms to solo lawyers, these bloggers are churning it out.
For instance, the Wisconsin State Public Defender’s (SPD) blog, On Point, featured more than 320 articles on criminal case decisions from Wisconsin’s appellate courts.
The On Point concept has been going since the 1990s when former SPD attorney Bill Tyroler started an email digest, summarizing citable cases from the appellate courts. He would email the summaries as an alert to those who wanted to receive them.
“He developed a following,” said SPD attorney Colleen Ball. “His writing was funny and he really had a tremendous command of the law.”
In 2010, Ball approached him about creating a blog to replace the email format, since blogging was hot. They called it On Point, and Tyroler wrote the blogs for several more years. Now, Ball and SPD attorneys Jefren Olsen and Andrew Hinkel write all the blogs.
“We were around 320 posts this year but we are typically over 400,” Ball said. “Court output on decisions was lower the past year because of COVID-19.
“We track cases but also try to write posts on new law review articles or new studies when we can, things that can help readers.”
The blog has about 2,000 subscribers. “Our intended audience was staff attorneys and private bar members who are representing the indigent,” Ball said. “Over time, we have acquired judges, court staff, and even legislators as followers.”
Ball also has her hands in another blogging venture. With the help of a grant, Ball and Wisconsin Supreme Court Commissioner Nancy Kopp created the Lavinia Goodell: Wisconsin’s First Woman Lawyer blog, also on WisLawNOW, which “aims to secure her rightful place in history.” The posts tell the story of Lavinia’s life.
“The grant is long past but Nancy in particular was determined to keep it going,” Ball said. “Believe it or not, we just came into 250 new letters between Lavinia and her family members that no one has ever seen, outside the family.”
Colleen Ball (left) is one of three attorneys who contribute to the State Public Defender’s blog, On Point. In another blogging venture, Ball and Court Commissioner Nancy Kopp (right) blog about Wisconsin’s first woman lawyer, Lavinia Goodell.
Building your Audience
Rosenzweig, also a WisLawNOW contributor, practices law in the area of ethics, professional responsibility, and licensing across the professions, including the legal profession. She also practices election law has a unique writing style that make her posts standout. She posted more than 30 articles at Ethicking in the last year.
“I was blogging long before I started practicing law,” said Rosenzweig in a Zoom interview. “I’ve always been a writer, and I like writing on my own terms.
Like Rosenzweig, Wisconsin legal bloggers have used their blogs to showcase their expertise and bring legal commentary and analysis on legal developments.
WisLawNOW helps amplify the reach of those blogs and creates a digital library of member-generated content that others can access on a daily basis.
It’s one of many communication vehicles available to State Bar members. Many other State Bar members find writing opportunities through the monthly Wisconsin Lawyer™, InsideTrack™, a bimonthly electronic publication, or State Bar section blogs.
“I really like the [ethics] practice area, and I like nerding out on the nuances of the supreme court rules,” Rosenzweig said.” This gave me a way to do it and reach a larger audience.”
While many legal bloggers use blogging primarily as a business development tool, that’s not the primary goal of Ethicking. Rosenzweig simply uses it as a forum for discussion.
“When people tell me they like reading it because they like the tone and they think it’s accessible, I think that’s a sign of success,” she said.
Helping People
Through his Wisconsin Unemployment Blog, also available at WisLawNOW, Victor Forberger kept the public informed on unemployment issues during COVID-19.
The Madison solo attorney posted more than 70 articles the last year. Forberger and was recently recognized by the State Bar’s Public Interest Law Section as “Pro Bono Attorney of the Year” for helping unemployed workers navigate a complicated and overwhelmed unemployment benefits system during the pandemic.
Through his blog and in an interview with the State Bar, Forberger encouraged attorneys to help on unemployment issues.
One of his posts shows how to navigate the Wisconsin Unemployment Insurance portal, and describes the only two ways to get useful documents. “Too many claimants cannot get these documents without this guidance, and an attorney cannot know what is going on in a case until these documents are seen by the attorney,” Forberger said in March.
Forberger’s blog includes hundreds of posts since the pandemic began, addressing issues like unemployment claims questions, pandemic unemployment assistance programs, delays and problems, and access issues for the disabled.
Through his Wisconsin Unemployment Blog, also available at WisLawNOW, Victor Forberger kept the public informed on unemployment issues during COVID-19.
The Annual Wisconsin Law Blogs List
Other blogs on WisLawNOW cover numerous other practice areas. Readers can search key words or browse content by channels, such as labor and employment, civil litigation, family and divorce, government, health care, immigration, and intellectual property.
Below is a list of the legal blogs on WisLawNOW, followed by a list of other legal blogs in Wisconsin, including the State Bar section blogs. Congratulations to Construction & Public Contract Law Section Blog, which posted the most articles of all sections.
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Law Firm and Other Legal Blogs on WisLawNOW
|
Blog
|
Firm or Affiliation
|
Practice Area
|
# Blog posts
(7/1/2020 to 7/1/2021)
|
|
1
|
On Point
|
State Public Defender
|
Criminal
|
321
|
|
2
|
Reinhart Boerner Van Deuren S.C. Blog
|
Reinhart Boerner Van Deuren S.C.
|
General
|
101
|
|
3
|
Gimbel, Reilly, Guerin & Brown LLP Blog
|
Gimbel, Reilly, Guerin & Brown LLC
|
General
|
92
|
|
4
|
Axley Publications
|
Axley Brynelson LLP
|
General
|
83
|
|
5
|
Mahaney Law Blog
|
Mahaney Law
|
General
|
81
|
|
6
|
Ruder Ware Blog
|
Ruder Ware, L.L.S.C.
|
General
|
80
|
|
7
|
Wisconsin Unemployment
|
Victor Forberger
|
Unemployment
|
74
|
|
8
|
von Briesen & Roper Blog
|
von Briesen & Roper, S.C.
|
General
|
64
|
|
9
|
WisBlawg
|
University of Wisconsin Law School
|
Legal research
|
64
|
|
10
|
Ogden Glazer + Schaefer Interact
|
Ogden Glazer + Schaefer
|
Business, intellectual property, food & beverage
|
52
|
|
11
|
Lavinia Goodell Blog
|
Nancy Kopp and Colleen Ball
|
Legal history
|
52
|
|
12
|
Tristen’s Landlord-Tenant Blog
|
Petrie & Pettit S.C.
|
Landlord-tenant
|
37
|
|
13
|
WisBar Court Review
|
Joe Forward, State Bar of Wisconsin
|
Appellate court coverage
|
35
|
|
14
|
Ethicking
|
Stacie H. Rosenzweig, Halling & Cayo S.C.
|
Legal ethics
|
32
|
|
15
|
WILMIC Blog
|
Wisconsin Lawyer Insurance Mutual Company
|
Liability insurance
|
32
|
|
16
|
KEW Tips
|
Kramer, Elkins & Watt LLC
|
Business & employment
|
31
|
|
17
|
The Center for Health & Wellness Law Blog
|
Barbara Zabawa, The Center for Health & Wellness LLC
|
Health
|
31
|
|
18
|
Banking Misconduct Blog
|
Brian Mahaney,
Mahaney Law
|
Banking
|
8
|
|
19
|
Tax & Wealth Advisor Blog
|
O’Neil, Cannon, Hollman, Dejong & Laing S.C.
|
Tax
|
18
|
|
20
|
Family Law Update
|
Gregg Herman, Loeb & Hermann S.C.
|
Family law
|
16
|
|
21
|
Hawley, Kaufman & Kautzer, S.C. Blog
|
Hawley, Kaufman & Kautzer, S.C.
|
General
|
16
|
|
22
|
Kelchen Consulting Blog
|
Kelchen Consulting
|
Legal marketing
|
15
|
|
23
|
Steimle Birschbach Blog
|
Steimle Birschbach, LLC
|
Probate & estate
|
15
|
|
24
|
Stafford Rosenbaum Blog
|
Stafford Rosenbaum LLP
|
General
|
14
|
|
25
|
Employment Law Scene Blog
|
O’Neil, Cannon, Hollman, Dejong & Laing S.C.
|
Employment
|
12
|
|
26
|
Hurley Burish, S.C. Blog
|
Hurley Burish S.C.
|
General
|
8
|
|
27
|
M&P Blog
|
Murphy & Prachthauser, S.C.
|
Personal injury
|
8
|
|
28
|
The Law Center S.C. Blog
|
The Law Center S.C.
|
Family
|
7
|
|
29
|
Wisconsin Business Law Blog
|
Schober Schober & Mitchell S.C.
|
Business
|
3
|
Active State Bar Section Blogs on WisLawNOW
Other Wisconsin Law Blogs*
|
Blog
|
Firm Affiliation
|
Practice Area
|
|
1
|
Appleton Area Law Blog
|
Peterson Berk Cross S.C.
|
Personal injury law
|
|
2
|
Appleton WI Bankruptcy Law Blog
|
Helbing Law Office LLC
|
Bankruptcy law
|
|
3
|
Boller & Vaughan Blog
|
Boller & Vaughan LLC
|
Personal injury law
|
|
4
|
Bucher Law Group Blog
|
Bucher Law Group LLC
|
Criminal defense, family law, personal injury
|
|
5
|
Carlson Dash Blog
|
Carlson Dash LLC- start here
|
Business, labor & employment, real estate, estate planning
|
|
6
|
Comics Lawyer Blog**
|
Dirk Vanover, Vanover Legal LLC
|
Entertainment law
|
|
7
|
Doar Drill & Skow Blog
|
Doar Drill & Skow
|
General
|
|
8
|
Estate Planning Perspectives Blog
|
Willms-O'Leary S.C.
|
Estate planning
|
|
9
|
Herrling Clark Law Firm Blog
|
Herrling Clark Law Firm Ltd
|
Personal injury, family law, estate planning
|
|
10
|
Krause Donovan Blog
|
Krause Donovan, LLC
|
Probate and estate planning law
|
|
11
|
Lin Law LLC Blog
|
Lin Law LLC
|
Business & estate planning
|
|
12
|
Milwaukee Criminal Defense Attorney Blog
|
Meyer Van Severen S.C.
|
Criminal
|
|
13
|
Milwaukee Employment Law Blog
|
Alan C. Olson & Associates
|
Employee rights law
|
|
14
|
Milwaukee Wisconsin Motor Vehicle Accident Law Blog
|
Martin Law Office LLC
|
Personal injury law
|
|
15
|
MWH Law Group Blog
|
MHW Law Group
|
General
|
|
16
|
Paul Ksicinski Blog
|
Paul A. Ksicinski, Attorney at Law
|
Criminal defense
|
|
17
|
Probst Law Blog
|
Probst Law Offices S.C.
|
Family law
|
|
18
|
Schloemer Law Firm Blog
|
Schloemer Law Firm
|
Estate planning, tax and business law
|
|
19
|
Securities Law Blog
|
Halling & Cayo, S.C.
|
Securities law
|
|
20
|
Stangl Law Blog
|
Stangl Law Offices S.C.
|
Ciminal defense
|
|
21
|
Western Wisconsin Law Blog
|
Mudge Porter Ludeen & Seguin S.C.
|
Personal and workplace injury
|
|
22
|
Wisconsin Bankruptcy Law Blog
|
Miller & Miller Law LLC
|
Bankruptcy & creditor/debtor law
|
|
23
|
Wisconsin DUI Law Blog
|
Melowski & Singh, LLC
|
DUI defense
|
* Blog affiliated with a law firm with less than 20 attorneys. At least 12 posts in 2020 and at least five posts in 2021. If the blog does not have an actual name, the law firm name is used.
** These are “independent” blogs. They are not affiliated or branded by a law firm. However, this list still notes the law firm or entity of the independent blogger listed.
Wisconsin Large Firm Blogs*
* More than 20 or more lawyers. At least 12 posts in 2020 and at least four posts in 2021. Some larger firms maintain multiple blogs. They are not listed separately. If the blog does not have an actual name, only the law firm name is noted.
Wisconsin Academic Law Blogs
WisLawNOW Brings Together Wisconsin’s Community of Legal Bloggers
WisLawNOW brings together blog content written by State Bar of Wisconsin members under a single website.
This network is developed in partnership with LexBlog, a legal blogging network of more than 25,000 bloggers nationwide.
Many Wisconsin legal bloggers have already joined this legal blogging community to expand their reach, showcase their expertise, and contribute to this digital collection of legal information in many practice areas.
Why WisLawNOW?
1. Creates community of Wisconsin legal bloggers that readers can access in one place.
2. Improves member access to a growing, timely library of legal knowledge that is searchable and responsive to mobile devices. And, members can find or subscribe to content of specific interest through practice-area channels.
3. Uses technology to expedite information delivery and extend the reach of member-generated content, potentially leading to lawyer-to-lawyer and consumer referrals.
No Cost to Join WisLawNOW
WisLawNOW is a benefit of State Bar membership. Legal bloggers who join WisLawNOW continue to publish on their regular platforms, and RSS technology will automatically pull their blog posts into the WisLawNOW website.
The blog author’s law firm and profile are highlighted in the post, linking back to the original blog post. See an example below. See entire blog post.
Blog posts must meet the Blog Post Inclusion Criteria. WisLawNOW will feature blogs related to the practice of law, including substantive legal developments, analysis of legislation or regulatory change, practice management and technology issues, lawyer ethics, lawyer well-being, and other topics that relate to the work of Wisconsin lawyers.
To increase readership of this blog content, the State Bar distributes an email digest to members every other week to showcase the best of this content.
This email means greater distribution of your blog post. In essence, WisLawNOW allows Wisconsin legal bloggers to amplify their message, creates a community of legal bloggers, and allows readers to access all Wisconsin legal blogs in one place.
The State Bar is continually onboarding member-bloggers. To be included in WisLawNOW, members must complete a short online form.
After filling out the form, the blog will be reviewed for substance and technical requirements. For more information, read WisLawNOW’s FAQ.
Join now
