Blogs... Blogs Everywhere

Sophie and I have, being budding law professionals, decided to review a law blog each. Sophie will no doubt expertly review her blog: http://ukcriminallawblog.com/, and I will try to keep pace.

The blog I have chosen to review is the Guardian's Law blog. Unfortunately this is not a blog that can be found on this website but I should be able to add it to my list, and here's a link anyway: http://www.theguardian.com/law/guardian-law-blog

The Guardian's law blog offers up to date (a feature of the criminal law blog as Sophie explains) and thought provoking blog posts regarding the developments in the legal world. These blogs do not tend to focus on a specific section of the law but rather the law as a whole. This offers a vast variety of law blogs to chose from and, in my opinion, means that, if you are interested in law, there will always be a post that catches your eye. One such post that interests me is the "Frankie Boyle, free speech and legal jokes" blog by Siobhain Butterworth. In this post Siobhain presents her opinions about whether or not legal action should be taken over offensive jokes, focusing on the antics of comedian Frankie Boyle. 

Another positive of the blog as whole is that there is not one blogger posting every story. The Guardian's law blog provides a range of different writers each with their own style and area of interest. This provides a diverse list of blogs and a diverse group of writing styles which in my opinion shows a willingness to cater to the needs of the many. This is a view echoed by Sophie regarding the criminal law blog. The blog is also well presented. Every story is displayed noticeably and comes with a title, a picture and a brief description which makes choosing the post which interests myself much easier. There are also links to other blogs held on the Guardian's website which can lead to an exploration of topics you might not have thought you were interested in. 

As far as negatives go the glaring problem with the blog is that the updates are very infrequent. When posts are made they are up to date and relevant, but the lack of frequent posts leaves you wanting more. The blog has a feeling that it has been slightly abandoned. Between September 2012 and December 2013 there were a total of 25 posts (around 2 a month). Since then however there have been zero... nothing... nada...

In conclusion the Guardian's law blog provides a valuable teaching tool not only for up to date legal issues but also for interesting discussion. This is what I would write if it was 2012. At the minute the blog does provide an interesting selection of opinions but with a lack of recent posts its use is very limited. If it were to start again with frequent posts however I may revise my verdict.

Regarding the criminal law blog Sophie has reviewed I'd say that blog is much better. I prefer the layout and professional display of the Guardian blog but in the world of law there is no substitute for bang up to date news. I also like how the blogs are very detailed, Sophie states "However, the advantages of this blog is that it explains things in much greater detail and corrects a lot of issues that are sometimes poorly reported in the media."

To see Sophie's review here's a handy dandy line - clickity click.