GAL Exposed?

The Greatest American Lawyer blog has now been going strong for over two years. I have kept myself largely anonymous for a variety of reasons. One of them is that I didn’t want the local attorneys whom I practice with to read my blog. In a medium sized town, it is often best not to stand out. Since seventy percent of my client base is from outside my home state, I’ve been able to enjoy the independence from local bar politics.

The other day, I was at court and heard a couple lawyers talking about blogging. I knew one of the lawyers and so I moved in to join the conversation. Blogging is, after all, one of my favorite topics. I listened while they talked about a variety of different blogs, which they found entertaining, amusing, or informative. Then my acquaintances mentioned the Greatest American Lawyer blog. My heart stopped and my eyes immediately went to his, looking for a sign that he knew I ran The Greatest American Lawyer Blog. His eyes did meet mine and looked at me squarely and smiled. He made some comments about innovation and the practice of law and then turned to speak with his client who entered the room.

My gut tells me that he does know. How could he not? I have posted about my fight with my old law firm, one that everyone in town knows about. I’ve posted about my business model, which anyone with even a little knowledge about my firm would guess is me.

I am feeling my anonymity slip away. Perhaps it is time for the Greatest American Lawyer to come out of the closet. Perhaps I am beyond the point of caring what the local Bar Association thinks of my all out attack on the traditional law firm model. Perhaps I am beyond the point of feeling that my opinions might be tempered by accountability.

Stay tuned…