I am not in the Blog business, or the internet marketing business, but I do get frequent questions about the how-to’s of blogging by  lawyers I see from day to day. That comes from having one of the relatively few legal blogs in Atlanta (or Georgia).  I also see occasional ads or posts about services that take advantage of the new market of potential legal bloggers.  One thing that pops up is the subject of ghostwriting – having someone else write your posts for you. I also include in that definition having someone re-write your posts, over and above basic proofreading.  I have seen new "services" offering everything from ghostwriting to hosting to "coaching." 

Grant Griffiths sums up the ghostwriting issue pretty well in this post – don’t do it.  If someone advises you to do so, or offers that service, they likely do not understand the basic purpose of legal blogging (as a poster or reader) and are out to make a buck.  If someone passes themselves off as a blog "expert," see if they have a history of success on their own blog(s), other than the one trying to sell their "expertise."   Check their Google page-rank.  These factors may tell you what their services are worth, and how long they may be around (and how much trouble you may have getting control of your data or domain name).

If you want a complete turnkey blog host and design service, try Lexblog (the designer of this site and dozens of others).  You’ll get a big jump in Google searches by going that route.  If you want to start slow, register your own domain name, set up an account with Typepad.  If you need a jump start on how to blog, just start reading blogs in your area of law, email the lawyers who have a blog, and read blogs like Copyblogger (which, by the way, has a very high page rank of 6).  There is just no reason to look to people offering ghostwriting, or to people who label themselves as experts when they have  scant successful blogging experience themselves.  You’ll get more by conversing with successful bloggers, participating in blog comments, and by writing posts.