♫ But the thrill we’ve never known
Is the thrill that’ll get you when you get your picture
On the cover of the Rolling Stone…♫

Lyrics and music by Shel Silverstein, recorded by Dr. Hook.

Steve Matthews of Stem Legal has announced that nominations are open for the 2009 ClawBies! Like past years, Steve prefers that nominations are done by blog post. Steve has stated that he doesn’t want categories mentioned for your nominations, so here goes my list of outstanding Canadian legal blogs:

1. Erik Macgraken’s ICBCLaw blog: Erik has jumped on using social media technology to push the envelope to reach out to new clients in new ways. His latest innovation is to have a link for a free video consultation via Skype right on his blog. He is prolific, knowledgeable and very readable! A great example of how young laywers in a traditional law firm can think out of the box. Hats off to Erik!

2. Tied with Erik, in my opinion, is Donna Seale and Human Rights in the Workplace. Like Erik, who helped break the mold in terms of what law firms can do with blogs, Donna has done the same in terms of how a solo lawyer with a husband and kids can do rather than accepting the traditional paths that are available to lawyers with families…work crazy hours and sacrifice the kids or drop out and raise a family. She is a leader in striking out and using social media to carve out a place in our profession that allows her to balance raising a family as well as becoming a leader in her legal area. Great stuff!

3. My third nomination is Dr. Michael Geist’s Blog. Dr. Geist is using social media to focus public (and legislative attention) on matters of copyright and digital information. Academics are typically seen being quoted in the media or used as experts in government hearings. Michael has broken that mold by taking matters of copyright, law and the internet to the people and focusing their attention on why these matters should be their concern. In the process he has amply demonstrated how democracy can be exercised and the rights of the individual can be amassed by the use of social media, including blogs and Twitter.

4. Honourable mentions: Steve Matthews’s Vancouver Law Librarian Blog and Jordan Furlong have taken themselves out of the running (courtesy of being the judges in the ClawBies!). But their work stands head and shoulders above all – Steve for both his law librarian blog as well as Stem Legal and Jordan for Law21 – they are leading the charge of how blogs can be used by lawyers (and legal institutions) to work differently (I am reminded the IBM’s motto was “Think!” and Apple’s was “Think Different!”. Steve and Jordan’s motto must be “Dream Different!”).

Other honourable mentions: Doug Jasinski’s newly revamped Legal Marketing Canada, of course the multiple-award winning Slaw.ca, Gary Wise’s “Wise Law Blog”, Stan Rule’s “Rule of Law Blog“, Gerry Riskin’s “Amazing Firms, Amazing Practices” and Connie Crosby’s Blog.

Best upcoming blog to watch: The BC Courthouse Library Society’s blog “The Stream“. This is an innovative idea…incorporate a blog into a traditional library web site (well – have a look – it isn’t *exactly* a traditional web site!). I expect great things from this blog in the months to come!

Those are my picks. I *know* that I have failed to mention many new and exciting blogs and I feel badly about that ..the people that are out there crafting their exciting legal blogs are looking for validation for their work and recognition for what they have achieved. I only hope that other eyes have uncovered these shining lights and that they too can say that they saw their smiling faces on the cover of the Rolling Stone…err…I mean…the 2009 ClawBies!