Our recent debut of a new online outlet for elder law information and musings gives us an opportunity to highlight a small but growing phenomenon. From various points across the country “blawgs”—weblogs focused on legal subjects—have begun popping up. We are pleased to be in the vanguard, and think we have hit on a unique approach.

First, a bit of background. There is much talk in the legal community about the large and growing number of “blawgs” in cyberspace. For all the discussion, however, there are surprisingly few blawgs with regular postings and committed readers. Part of the reason is that it can be hard work to contribute something to cyberspace on even a weekly basis, and in order to attract regular readers it is necessary to provide fresh content even more frequently.

With our new GeriLaw blawg we hope to provide regular infusions of new content by harnessing the power of multiple authors. In addition to lawyers here at Fleming & Curti, PLC, regular contributors will include a selection of some of the leading elder law practitioners from across the country. So far, contributions from Nell Graham Sale in New Mexico, Andy Hook in Virginia and Charlie Robinson in Florida indicate the depth of experience and breadth of opinion available at GeriLaw.

Our focus will be correspondingly broadened, and we intend to generate discussions about Medicaid eligibility, special needs trusts, wills, powers of attorney, general estate planning, guardianship and conservatorship, elder abuse and exploitation, and a host of other topics. We may from time to time ruminate on the practice of law, or even just engage in some healthy (and, we hope, entertaining) whining.

We are not the first, nor yet the best-read, of elder law blogs. That honor probably goes to Prof. Kim Dayton of William Mitchell College of Law in Minnesota, with her Elder Law Prof Blog. Prof. Dayton has been online since May 2, 2005. While even that date might not be the earliest elder law blog, it is a contender—and she has been posting daily ever since. Besides, like us, Prof. Dayton was online for years before her blawg’s debut; her current informational website is the National Elder Law Network.

Other active elder law blawgs include one operated by Charlie Robinson (one of our contributors—“active” in this case means that Charlie has recently posted his first entry). Ed Long of the California organization H.E.L.P. for Seniors is online with useful and abundant consumer legal information. Private attorneys from Florida, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, New York and other states join a small but growing—and shifting—group of online blawggers with focus on elder law or related issues.

You can find links to many of this group of pioneers on the GeriLaw blog. Take a minute to check us out, and comment freely.

Incidentally, we have no intention of replacing this weekly newsletter with the GeriLaw blog. Though similar, the concepts are different; we intend to be much more informal and unstructured while blogging. We hope you enjoy.

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