We are women. Hear us blawg!

So, Law.com conducted a cursory review of the legal blogosphere and, in a recent article, concluded that there weren't a lot of women bloggers.

The author named a few well-traveled blawgs authored by men, mostly law profs, and then concluded that there just aren't a lot of us women out there blogging--at least not about important ol' legal stuff.

Hogwash. Women lawyers blog. 

Some of us blog about substantive legal issues (New York Federal Criminal Practice, TalkLeft, Sui Generis, California Estate Planning blog, Massachusetts Estaate Planning and Elder Law, Pennsylvania Fiduciary Litigation, Indiana Law Blog) .

Some of us blog about practice management (My Shingle, Build a Solo Practice, LLC, Legal Ease Blog).

Some of us blog about the practice of law (Legal Mystenigmary, Blond Justice, Deliberations, Civil Negotiation and Mediation).

Some of us blog about women and the law (Power of Attorney: Not Happy Hour At the Bar, Feminist Law Professors, Women in Law Daily). 

Some of us blog about technology and the law (California BioTech Law Blog, Practicing Law in the 21st Century; Connie Crosby & The Law Firm Intranet (not by lawyers, but blawgs nonetheless). 

Some of us blog about our lives, our families, and the world (The Common Scold, Ipse Dixit, Part-time Law Mom, Legal Antics, Merits of the Case, Bag and Baggage).

For a long list of women blawgers, head on over to BlogHer's Law Blog list.  The list above is certainly not all inclusive, so feel free to add your own woman-authored blawg in the comments to this post.

We blog. You're just asking the wrong people about it.

I agree 100% with Scott Greenfield at Simple Justice when he states:

I'm beginning to see part of Holland's problem.  She is stuck in the BigBlawg frame of reference, meaning those handful of blawgs that make it onto the radar of clueless people who know squat about blawging.

That being said, when it comes to substantive legal blogging, the lack of women blawgers is, I believe, explained by the fact that women generally talk less in groups.  Walk into any law school class and you'll find that the male students dominate at least 70% of the discussion on average.

Walk into any elementary school classroom--you'll see the same thing.  Junior High is worse, high school is not much better, although things tend to improve a bit in college.

There's a reason for this--our cultural norms indicate that a desirable trait for women is to be soft spoken and gentle.

By way of example, my 6 year-old daughter came home from school the other day and told me that whenever they learn about a new letter, they watch a short video.  And, all the letters are "boys" except for the vowels--all 5 of them.  And, the kicker--she told me that her teacher said that the "girl" letters are hard to hear, but they're very special because you can't make a word without them. (Sounds kind of like the ol' refrain from most fundamental religions that women play a very important role by "supporting" the men in the background).

So, from a young age, they learn that our culture expects certain things from girls--not the least of which is playing a quietly supportive background role while the boys handle the front end of things.

Sure, as we grow and learn, we make our own decisions about how we choose to carry ourselves in the world, but the lessons learned at a young age are not easily forgotten or ignored.

So, I'm not surprised that some women are hesitant to put themselves "out there" when it comes to substantive blawgs.  They learned a long time ago that that's just not what "good" women do.

But that's ok.  Women blawg on our own terms about subjects that interest us.  We do blog.  We are out there and you can hear our voices, if you just choose to listen.

Person Connie Crosby,

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Comments

[Anne Reed]

Beautiful. Thanks for this; only a blogger knows how long it took you to gather and insert all those links! The effort is much appreciated.

[Ron Coleman]

Kind of a lame article, though it is going to get a lot of play.

The Blog World "77 Most Influential" blawgs? Puh-lease.

[Susan Cartier Liebel]

Niki, great job! And you of anyone should know the energy involved in blogging, as Anne said.

Women are blogging everywhere. And as you and Scott Greenfield both pointed out...you have to know where to look.

[SC 3L]

Nice work, but you forgot the Legal Tease over at Sweet Hot Justice -- she's a lady blogger with a strong --and different, refreshing, brutally honest-- voice: http://www.sweethotjustice.com/

We need more like her. Keep up the good work!

[Elisa Camahort Page]

Great post, with great resources!

[Jill]

And let us not forget the nontraditional lawyers among us!!

I have a joint degree in law and social work, passed the bar and the LISW exam, maintained both licenses through 2004 and now am a freelance writer and political commentator who frequently invokes my legal training (well, I try...) and I've been blogging since July 2005, often about law - education, municipal, mental health, constitutional and other areas.

Thanks for this wonderful list - argh - don't you hate when people get lazy!?

[Connie Crosby]

I am honoured to be included in the list, Nicole. Just to clarify, I am not a lawyer but a law librarian.

I agree women generally are challenged to have a presence in the "blogosphere". I find few librarians, for example, will leave comments on my blog despite many telling me they read along. They seem a lot more comfortable on Facebook where it seems removed from public eyes.

I want to add to your list one of my favourite law bloggers, and indeed an attorney: Betsy McKenzie over at the group blog Out of the Jungle http://outofthejungle.blogspot.com/

Cheers,
Connie

[Peg]

www.ms-jd.org

[Dee]

Nice response to the article whose author could well have taken some advice from women blawgers about doing good research.

I've never found myself actually looking for female blawgers, it was just never an issue.
Interesting comment about the non-traditional lawyers. I've come across female bloggers who are non-practicing lawyers too and they have quite a bit to say.

Thanks for including me in your list.

[Yvonne DiVita]

As an active female business blogger and marketing to women expert, I heartily agree that men tend to overlook women bloggers, overall, not just in the legal arena.

Women dominate the blogosphere - recent studies show our many voices, and your powerful law-blog provides another strong voice giving everyone (men, too) a place to get the right content, or...a place to ask the right question. Thanks for posting this. Just outstanding!