As owner of a micro energy law firm, I'm accustomed to hustling, competing for business against my large firm colleagues.  Once upon a time, my hustle included speaking at conferences or in person networking, pressing my business card into as many hands as I could shake.  But my strength in energy law isn't my personality per se, but my work - my writings and insights and fresh approach to the energy industry.  So when blogging emerged as a platform I was one of the first lawyers to jump on board with Renewablesoffshore.com, a blog that will turn nine in February 2012.  

Blogging put my name on the offshore renewable map but it didn't help me build real relationships or get to know my colleagues.  That would come later - around 2006, when social media platforms started to launch.  I wrote a book about social media for lawyers and then, intrigued by its possibility for the energy utility industry, authored a 50 page article on the energy issues for the Energy Law Journal, which was published in January 2011 here - www.felj.org/docs/elj321/13_1_social_media.pdf  

Of course, in an area as fluid as social media with changing law, I feared that my article would soon become outdated.  So, I've started keeping a running update at my new blog, NextGenerationEnergyLawyer.com in this pocket part section here - http://www.lawofficesofcarolynelefant.com/fercfights/?tag=pocket-parts If you have an interest in social media and utilities, please feel free to visit my site!