shlep: the Self-Help Law ExPress

 Blawg Review‘s Anonymous Editor and Christmas Angel: For two years, I’ve had the pleasure of frequent typo alerts, pointers to items of interest, and words of encouragement, from Ed, the anonymous person who created and edits Blawg Review, the original carnival of law-related weblogs.  I’ve been amazed over how thoroughly and consistently he covers the world of lawyer weblogging (and beyond).   I’ve called Ed my “guardian angel” at times, but never knew his angel duties were global, and in partnership with that other all-seeing and omni-present creature of myth, Santa Claus. 

Their unique joint venture became apparent for all to see this morning, when Angelonymous Ed and his alter ego Santa Claus presented the Blawg Review Awards 2006.  Awards are given for the best law weblogs in numerous categories. “The list isn’t exhaustive, . . . .  But those law blogs that have been given awards this year are certainly worth your attention. In many cases, they’re obvious choices. But there are a few surprises.”

Blawg Review Awards 2006

Forget the false shows of modesty, the Shlep Team is far too pleased to downplay our bright new Blawg Review Award 2006 — “Best Law Blog In the Public Interest.”  It is a great honor to receive this particular award, which goes to the heart of our mission: presenting consistently useful information that will allow the public to be both better aware of its rights and better able to assert them and achieve meaningful and affordable access to justice (with or without lawyers). 

More important, the award is a big nudge for the shlep Team to build on our four-month foundation, by consistently providing materials of high-quality, that are of practical use for consumers and practitioners, interesting enough to keep readers coming back often, and helpful resources for those seeking answers through search engines.  [It it also a great opportunity to point out once again that the Editor continues to seek a co-Editor — or two — who will contribute a significant amount of time, knowledge and enthusiasm to making shlep fresh and timely every day.]

Many worthy law weblogs were honored in Blawg Rewiew Awards 2006, and deserve your attention.   Of the more substantive awards, I’d like to call you attention to, and congratulate those that you will find below “under the fold.”   Long-time weblogger buddies Carolyn Elefant, Robert Ambrogi, Evan Schaeffer, Denise Howell, Walter Olson, and J. Craig Williams get a special personal Hat Tip.  

• The Volokh Conspiracy gets the award for Community and Social Interaction on a law blog, for conspiring to get the most votes for the Law Blog of the Year in the 2006 Weblog Awards. Congratulations! [shlep Editor’s Note: an obvious winner and a great place to actually learn some law and policy while online.]
• Jeremy Blachman picks up this year’s award for Persona of the Year for Anonymous Lawyer, the blog, the book, the law firm.
• The award for Intelligent Design is presented to Steve Bainbridge for the ProfessorBainbridge.com, which has evolved into an online legal magazine with an eclectic personal journal, a law blog, and a wine blog.  [shlep Editor’s Note: there must be a god.]
• Above the Law is recognized as the Best New Law Blog. [shlep Editor’s Note: the kind of fun only a darn good tabloid can provide.]
• The award for Best Blawg Theme goes to Overlawyered, chronicling the high cost of our legal system. [shlep Editor’s Note: Walter and Ted sometimes overwork the theme, but this weblog is a classic and on my daily short list.]
• There’s no monopoly in the category Best Group Blog by Lawyers in a Law Firm, Antitrust Review sharing this award with PHOSITA. 
• James Maule gets recognition for the Best Blawg by a Law Professor for MauledAgain.
• Concurring Opinions takes Best Group Blog by Law Professors.
• Lawyerlike grabs Best Blawg by a Law Student. 
• De Novo wins Best Group Blog by Law Students.
• The award for Best Blawg By A Paralegal goes to nearlylegal..
• J. Craig Williams receives the award for Best Blog by a Practicing Attorney for May It Please the Court. [shlep Editor’s Note: when does Craig find time to practice?]
• Bruce MacEwen picks up the award for Best Practice Management Blog for Adam Smith, Esq.
• Bill Marler gets the Law Firm Blogs Award for coordinating various practice specialty blogs providing commentary on food poisoning outbreaks and litigation. This is the second year in a row this award has been won by a client of LexBlog.
• The nod for Best Politico Blog by Lawyers is given to Jeralyn Meritt for TalkLeft, the politics of crime.
• SCOTUSblog is recognized for the Best Case Law Coverage. [shlep Editor’s Note: easy choice.]
• The award for Best Blogging by a Judge goes to Richard Posner for the Becker-Posner Blog for the second year in a row.
• The award for the Best Special Interest Blog by a lawyer goes to Jen Burke for Transcending Gender, not to mention the blog for her book, A Life Less Convenient.  [shlep Editor’s Note: so good, you almost forget it’s for a Special Interest]
• Ann Althouse is recognized for Best Personal Blog by a legally-oriented female blogger for Althouse.
• Glenn Reynolds gets the award for Best Personal Blog by a legally-oriented male blogger for Instapundit.
•  Scott Henson gets the award for Equal Justice for Grits for Breakfast.
•  David Giacalone wins the award for Best Law Blog In The Public Interest for SHLEP: the Self-Help Law ExPress  [shlep Editor’s Note: this is more personally gratifiying than winning the Creative Blawg Award last year.]
• Baseball Crank gets the award for Best Off-Topic Law Blog
• The Trademark Blog picks up the award for Best Legal Specialty Blog.
• The award for Best Legal Consultant Blog goes to Matt Homann for the [non] billable hour..
• Best Mentoring Law Blog goes to Arnie Herz for Legal Sanity.. [shlep Editor’s Note: important topic, done well]
• The award for Global Perspective goes to What About Clients?. [shlep Editor’s Note: worthy winner]
• The award for Best Law Blog by a legal mediator goes to Diane Levin for the Online Guide to Mediation. [shlep Editor’s Note: can’t be neutral about Diane — she knows how to bring mediation to the blawgisphere with style. ]
• Connie Crosby gets the award for Legal Support Blog
• The award for Best Legal Podcast goes to Bob Ambrogi’s and Craig Williams’ Coast to Coast again this year, but the nod also goes to Denise Howell for This Week in Law, the Best New Legal Podcast. It will take a lot of work to take this award from two-time winner Coast to Coast, but if anyone has a shot for next year’s top podcast, it’s Denise Howell.  [shlep Editor’s Note: if I were ever to give up my podriah status, I’d listen to Bob. Criag and Denise, for sure.]
• Balkinization gets the Blawg Review Award for Legal Reasoning. gets the Blawg Review Award for Legal Reasoning.
• Ernest Svenson picks up the award for Best Blawg With Local Flavor for Ernie the Attorney.
• The award for Best Source for Legal Headline News goes to Howard J. Bashman for How Appealing. [shlep Editor’s Note: easy winner]
• Bob Ambrogi and Carolyn Elefant are recognized for Blog Journalism for their excellent work as editors of Legal Blog Watch, part of the Law.com Blog Network. [shlep Editor’s Note: at the top of my daily To Do list]
• The award for Best Online Law Magazine using blog technology goes to QuizLaw.
• Best British Law Blog goes to Justin Patten at Human Law.
•  Rob Hyndman gets the award for Best Canadian Law Blog.
• The award for the Best Australian Blawg goes to Peter Black at Freedom to Differ..
• Best Law Blog By In-House Counsel goes to Google’s William Patry for The Patry Copyright Blog.
• Evan Schaeffer is recognized for a lifetime of achievement in blog years, for Evan Schaeffer’s Legal Underground and The Illinois Trial Practice Weblog  [shlep Editor’s Note: Nobody deserves it more than Evan does]