In the universe of legal expertise, small and solo law firms hold a wealth of specialized knowledge and practical insight. They have written hundreds of thousands of legal blog posts. Makes sense, seventy-five percent of lawyers work in such firms.
However, despite their potential to contribute to a living library of secondary law, these firms remain in the shadows of large law publishing.
While chasing SEO visibility and viewership, the insight and understanding these lawyers have on niches and locales risks being lost. How do we ensure their voices are valued?
Today, when legal professionals and the public seek legal information relevant to small law, they are most likely to encounter content dominated by large law firms or SEO driven content marketing from smaller firms. Content often on small firm websites surrounded by accolades about the law firm.
The nuanced and relevant insight from these lawyers is lost.
For small and solo firms, the challenge isn’t just about competing on the digital battleground of SEO; it’s about the essence of what they publish.
Many of these firms contribute valuable content that could serve as secondary legal material accessible to both lawyers and the general public. However, without sufficient exposure, their insights remain underutilized, and access to the law suffers.
How We Can Surface Insight from Small Law
To change things we need to get beyond search engines and SEO.
Here are a few ideas:
Curated Legal Libraries: Developing complete platforms – for large and small firm contributions – dedicated to curating and highlighting existing publications and publishing from small and solo law firms can democratize access to legal information. By centralizing resources and using intelligent tagging and categorization, we can make it easier for users to find relevant and authoritative content beyond what SEO offers. Word will get around.
Incentives for New Contributors: Encouraging more small and solo practitioners to share their knowledge can be achieved through visibility and recognition. Legal news and library sites can offer visibility and networking opportunities.
Community and Collaboration: Building a community around shared legal knowledge can foster a sense of belonging and value.
The knowledge possessed by small and solo law firms is a vital part of our legal ecosystem, especially for the general public and smaller businesses who may not engage or be able to engage large law firms.
By creating pathways for these firms to contribute to a dynamic, accessible body of secondary law, we can ensure that their insights are preserved.