Ian Best: Blogging for Credit

Ian Best may be the very first law student in the country ever to get academic credit for an activity that many would consider a fad or a hobby. He is studying blogging, and more specifically, the growing phenomenon of legal blogs, the weblogs of lawyers, law professors, and law students. "I want to show how blogs provide an inexhaustible resource for law-related material," says the third year Moritz Law student. "The potential with legal blogs is overwhelming, but very few people see it yet. We are at an initial stage in what will become a tremendously significant method of publishing and communication."

Ian first became interested in the technology while working as a research assistant for one of Moritz Law's most prolific bloggers, Professor Douglas Berman. Professor Berman has been posting advancements in federal sentencing on his blog, Sentencing Law and Policy, since 2004.

"I saw how he was able to keep track of constant legal developments in a way that law journals couldn't," he recalls. "He could analyze cases that were decided the day before." Ian also observed how Professor Berman's blog allowed an unusual form of outreach. "Blogs can transcend the ivory tower of legal academia by providing information to the general public. Not only prosecutors, defense attorneys, and judges were using his blog as a resource, but relatives of criminal defendants and crime victims were using it as well. These are people who would never pick up a law journal."

Throughout the semester, Ian has been blogging at 3L Epiphany. "I'm trying to experience blogging firsthand, and at the same time write about what I discover," he says. His main goal, for which he will receive academic credit, is to create a taxonomy of hundreds of legal blogs.

In addition, he's written a Recent Development case note that will be published in an upcoming issue of the Ohio State Journal on Dispute Resolution. His case note includes a final footnote, which directs readers to an "electronic footnote" on his blog. "I'll keep my electronic footnote up-to-date indefinitely," he says. "I can keep track of new developments regarding the case, including its progeny. I wanted to display a combination of the old and new forms of publishing, and how they can be blended together with modern technology."

Ian hopes that he is establishing a precedent that will benefit other law students in the future. "Eventually more law students will blog, and receive credit for it. There are so many possibilities, but the potential is unrealized. Students can create a blog about whatever legal topic they want, such as a case, a trial, or a statute. They can write about their favorite legal specialty, and make themselves more marketable to employers. If a student gets a poor grade, say in Civil Procedure or Criminal Law, he can start a blog-for-credit on Erie or Miranda and undo the damage. Some day there will probably be specialty blogs in law school, just like there are specialty law journals."

While he's enjoyed the blogging experience he's not sure how much he'll keep it up after graduation. "It depends on where I work," says Ian. "Needless to say, I don't expect that an employer will want me to spend too much time blogging. On the other hand, there are lots of advantages for lawyers and law firms who have an interactive online presence. I can understand why they might be skeptical of a blog's value, but I would like to help change that reputation."