Judith Middleton (partner at Latimer Hinks Solcitors), Anne Elliott (partner) and myself write blogs. All are very different.

Social Networking Guineapig follows the success of Judith's Divorce Blog and Anne's Tax Planning Blog as well as providing the opportunity to flag up events, press stories which Latimer Hinks publish.

We are a 9 partner firm and so far I have only managed to recruit 2 partners in this blogging experiment.

I recently came across an article from KMSpace - Why are legal blogs undervalued? It's well worth reading, there are also links to other articles of interest.

Here is my blog on Why Blog - the advantages

The reasons that Latimer Hinks have developed blogs as an added marketing initiative are given below in a quote from KMSpace (we seem to be on the same wavelength!)

Blogging, like any marketing or networking activity is about building your brand. With lawyers and other professionals that means showing your expertise, engaging in conversations about your expertise and publishing your expertise. Blogs allow all of these. And certainly do a better job than most firm's rather static websites.

Once you start a blog it's interesting (and addictive) to monitor how much traffic is directed to the firm's website. Traffic that would not have arrived there probably by any other means.

All you need to do is "give it a try". It's free and your marketing budget will stretch further!

Judith Middleton (partner at Latimer Hinks Solcitors), Anne Elliott (partner) and myself write blogs. All are very different.

Social Networking Guineapig follows the success of Judith's Divorce Blog and Anne's Tax Planning Blog as well as providing the opportunity to flag up events, press stories which Latimer Hinks publish.

We are a 9 partner firm and so far I have only managed to recruit 2 partners in this blogging experiment.

I recently came across an article from KMSpace - Why are legal blogs undervalued? It's well worth reading, there are also links to other articles of interest.

Here is my blog on Why Blog - the advantages

The reasons that Latimer Hinks have developed blogs as an added marketing initiative are given below in a quote from KMSpace (we seem to be on the same wavelength!)

Blogging, like any marketing or networking activity is about building your brand. With lawyers and other professionals that means showing your expertise, engaging in conversations about your expertise and publishing your expertise. Blogs allow all of these. And certainly do a better job than most firm's rather static websites.

Once you start a blog it's interesting (and addictive) to monitor how much traffic is directed to the firm's website. Traffic that would not have arrived there probably by any other means.

All you need to do is "give it a try". It's free and your marketing budget will stretch further!

Bloggers the world over preach on how to make a blog successful. I have committed what I feel to be the No.1 sin.

My only excuse is that I have been SO busy. I am organising for Latimer Hinks (as well as all my other duties):
1) A Bi-annual Charity Ball (Friday May 16th)
2) A Trustee Presentation (Thursday 27th Feb)
3) An Annual Dinner (Friday 29th)

The No.1 Blogging Sin that I have committed is....

Not Blogging! It has been over a week since my last blog.

Blogs must be regularly updated to hold interest. I even wrote Top Ten Blogging Tips - and consider the list as a Top Ten Commandments.

For some reason I have placed "regularly updating" at number 9 - i think i need a rewrite!

• a photographer who will come along on the evening free of charge, sell photos and donate 10% of the profits to the charities concerned.
• an auction expert, he will supply auction items and organise a silent auction free of charge. Any profit made above the cost of the item will go directly to the charities

This will all be a great help. The companies can come in and professionally "do their thing". I will then have more time to see to the other aspect of the evening.

It's all getting very exciting! We're even looking at lighting the outside of Wynyard Hall. It is after all, a spectacular building.

At the moment both parents have the right to paternity leave, the father 2 weeks at £108.85. The mother 39 weeks paid at 90% of her average earnings for 6 weeks and then drops to £108.85 for the remainder.

We all know how expensive children can be how difficult it can be to organise your working life and home life around children. We never seem to have enough holidays to cope with those sudden emergencies.

Parental leave can help. You can take up to three months leave (you do need to apply for this through your employer) in the first five years of the child's life.

Although very handy, this leave is unpaid and very few families are unable to make use of it.

Nick Poole, partner at Latimer Hinks Solicitors is calling for changes to the current system.

Following are links to further information:

Career Death for Women as Fathers work on

Work and Families - tailored interactive guidance on employment rights