What The Heck Is A "Meme?"
As I mentioned a few days ago, Ron Miller tagged me to participate in an internet meme passed along by the Drug and Medical Device Law Blog. The idea is that I am to talk about my five favorite legal and non-legal blogs. So away we go.
Non-Legal:
Profootballtalk.com- This is a blog dedicated to the daily happenings in the NFL. I'm a huge NFL fan, having been a Baltimore Ravens season ticket holder since the day the team came here. I'm still mad that Bob Irsay stole my football childhood. This blog is written by Mike Florio, Jr. His day job is being an attorney, but the rest of the time he does a stellar job of keeping me informed on what's happening in my favorite sport.
Freakonomics- this blog is written by the authors of the book of the same name. I like it for its occasionally irreverent, out of the box view on the economic and financial topics of the day. This is particularly good lately, because of the apocalyptic state of the U.S. economy.
Carol's Corner Office- this is an excellent blog for anyone who uses Microsoft office software. It is full of helpful hints and shortcuts to make using Microsoft's office software easier and more productive. It is particularly useful for law office administrators as the author, Carol Bratt, has over 35 years experience in law office administration and is a Certified Microsoft Office Expert. (Full diclosure: Mommy. In case the incredibly common last name didn't give it away.)
Ravens Insider- This is the Baltimore Sun's excellent blog on the hometown team. Since the Baltimore Ravens are a central part of my life this time of year, I check this blog just about every day to see what's going on with my favorite team. If you make it out to M&T Bank Stadium this Sunday, look for me in Section 103, Row 5, Seat 22. Go Ravens!
Baltimore Crime Blog- I'm a Baltimoron through and through. Its not an accident that my home town has starred in Homicide, The Wire and The Corner. We're hard here. Cop: "Mr. Little, how does a man rob drug dealers for eight or nine years and live to tell about it?" Omar (the baddest man on TV, ever.): "One day at a time, I suppose?". The Baltimore Crime Blog shows you how unfortunately realistic these TV shows are. And, hopefully how things are improving.
OK. Now my five favorite legal blogs:
Trial Lawyer Resource Center: This is what it sounds like. It's an excellent tool for trial attorneys looking to improve their advocacy skills, or just looking for new ideas on trial presentation. It's written by a group of experienced trial lawyers, including our very own Ron Miller, so it contains a variety of ideas and viewpoints.
The Art of Advocacy- This is written by an outstanding local attorney, Paul Mark Sandler. He is full of useful thoughts on the legal profession. The best thing he offers are his thoughts on written and oral advocacy. I have used his books Appellate Practice for the Maryland Lawyer: State & Federal, and Pleading Causes of Action more times than I can count. This is great for lawyers who care about advocacy, and want to do it the right way. His work is an incredible benefit to the Maryland Bar.
Maryland Law- This originally named blog is focused on legal research. It is written by Trevor Rosen, a researcher at the Baltimore law firm Shapiro Sher Guinot & Sandler. It is full of useful tips for lawyers who do research. The plaintiff's personal injury bar has a (deserved) reputation for less-than-stellar written advocacy. More plaintiff's lawyers should add this blog to their bookmarks.
Maryland Accident Lawyer Blog- This is a new Miller & Zois blog written by Laura Zois. Laura is a wonderful trial lawyer, and I'm sure her new blog will be a great success.
Maryland Judiciary Case Search- OK, I'm cheating. This isn't a blog at all. I have included it because its arguably the single most important tool on the internet for Maryland Personal Injury Lawyers. All court filings in Maryland are public record and are available on this site. So this is where to go to find out if your defendant has a criminal record, or has been sued before, or how active your opposing counsel is in trying cases. I use it every day.
