In the second installment in our series of interviews with lawyers who blog, we talked to Denise Howell of Bag and Baggage fame.

Q: When and why did you start a blog?

A: November, 2001. Christopher Locke made me do it. With that send to his EGR list he set off a whole flurry of blogging. Like most things Locke is prone to suggesting one do, it raised a few eyebrows, and prompted the occasional second thought — but has been lots of fun and a good idea in the long run.

Q: Have you generated additional legal business directly or indirectly related to your blog?

A: Both. Directly, the blog has resulted in many contacts from those needing legal assistance in my own area of expertise or in an area where colleagues at my firm are well suited to help. Indirectly, reading weblogs and participating in the conversations they engender keep me very well informed about current developments pertinent to my practice and the needs of the firm’s clients and potential clients.

Q: Have any of your peers seen your blog? Do they comment on it? Does the fact that they read it cause you to write differently?

A: A great many of them have; some are regular readers. Yes, they comment on it from time to time. No, I don’t think it causes me to write differently.