Web logs, better known as blogs, are proving to be effective marketing tools for a growing number of lawyers and law firms, with one solicitor this week claiming to have brought in business almost instantly.

But experts warn that although blogs can bring in business, they can also cause problems if not handled with care.


Hertfordshire-based Justin Patten's new blog, HumanLaw, is one of the latest examples of lawyers taking their views on to the Web. Mr Patten, a sole practitioner focusing on intellectual property, employment law and technology in business, said he has gained one client via his blog within the first two weeks of publishing. 'I did a post about a copyright issue on my blog and, from that, it looks like I've gained a client,' said Mr Patten. 'And it would be quite significant litigation.'


But Mr Patten warned that, though blogs look set to add value to legal businesses, there are pitfalls to consider. One of those areas is defamation, but this does not just mean the author of the blog being careful - blogs generally allow readers to post comments, and bloggers need to decide how they deal with those posts.


'Because you could be linking your company name to something, you should monitor the posts that are made,' explained Mr Patten. 'That is the main danger.' He added that one would expect the lawyers themselves to understand the defamation possibilities inherent in publishing.


Peter Wainman, a solicitor at Mills & Reeve in Birmingham and one of the authors of the established NakedLaw blog, agreed that lawyers would gain benefit from blogging, but need to watch their backs.


He said his blog has published terms and conditions for posting, saying the firm does not accept responsibility. 'But you either have to take the view of being an editor and moderate [the posts], or not, and we took the view that we wanted to control.'


Both solicitors said guidelines or advice in some form would help legal newcomers to blogging avoid potential problems. But, it seems, there are few official blogging equivalents of the Law Society's e-mail guidelines, for example.


'[Guidelines] would help people starting knowing what the risks are,' said Mr Wainman. 'I'm not campaigning for guidance, but it would help people who are starting up now.' Mr Patten also thought that guidance from a body such as the Law Society would help newcomers to the world.


A Society spokesman said blogs are a topic the e-business unit plans to cover and it would welcome hearing from solicitors if detailed guidance would be useful.


Mr Wainman said it would be a mistake to use blogs solely as a money-making exercise. They are a chance for lawyers to show their interests, and air their views on subjects about which they feel strongly.


'We didn't want to brand [NakedLaw] too heavily a Mills & Reeve project,' he said. 'In the [on-line] community the worst thing you can do is make a blog a piece of marketing - people hate that.


'It shouldn't be your primary motive, and the moment you make it look like that you're in trouble. But it can boost your profile and shows that you're aware of the community and want to engage with it.'


LINKS: www.human-law.co.uk; www.nakedlaw.co.uk