Direct from the home office in Chicago, IL...it's LEGAL POP!

You're probably wondering why you're here, reading this blog. I am wondering the same thing - why are you here reading this? And more importantly, why am I writing this?

I cannot answer the former question, but I can try my hand at the latter, and in the process, explain what this blog is about. Thus, my list of reasons why I'm writing this blog:

1. I've always wanted to be a writer. But not in the typical sense that most people mean - I've never really fashioned myself a novelist or playwright or "creative" writer. My "heroes" as far as writers go are almost universally columnists - George Will, Chuck Klosterman, Gregg Easterbrook, Bill Simmons, Peggy Noonan, Malcolm Gladwell and Robert Samuelson. Even historically-speaking, it's writers like Thomas Paine (arguably the most historically significant/important columnist or pamphleteer ever), James Madison, John Adams, and Thomas Jefferson who inspire me - not the artistic writers who create the new, but the writers who form and shape and reflect public opinion by writing columns or pamphlets. I've written letters to the editor, a one-time guest column for my college paper, and a few columns for my law school paper (here, here, and here), but nothing regular. So here is my chance to regularly weigh in on whatever I want, which brings us to...

2. I need to organize my thoughts. Writing is cathartic for many people - for me, it's how I sort throught the separate threads of thought flitting through my head and compile them into some sort of recognizable whole. I'm a lawyer (more on that in a moment), and when you're writing a brief, it is rare that you ever find a precedent in a case that speaks exactly to the issues of your case. What you do is take precedent from many old cases, and conform it into a coherent argument for your case - in other words, taking isolated thoughts and musings and organize them into one powerful argument. So writing helps me clarify, and realize where I stand/what I think. And I suppose it is somewhat important to know what you think.

3. Someone else might be interested in my opinions. This is probably the least significant reason, but I'd be dishonest if I said I didn't care if anyone read this - I want people to read this, think about things that I'm thinking about, and give me feedback. After all, ideas aren't valuable if they just stick in your head - they need to get out there into the old "marketplace of ideas," right?

4. I'm not just a lawyer. I love the law, and I love my job, but I'm not just a lawyer - I have tons of interests outside of my career. And this blog allows me to discuss them. I can write about politics, I can write about televisions shows (and I will be writing about "Lost"), I can write about movies, I can write about music, I can write about food, I can write about sports...basically, this blog allows me to use writing as an escape from my career. Now, that isn't to say that law will not be a topic - of course it will. But only when I'm interested in it....law on my time, not my work's time.

5. I don't get to converse with my friends (and probable readers) about serious topics nearly enough. And so, a blog - a chance for me to state a case on a topic of interest and you, my readers (and probably my friends) to respond in kind. Consider this the raucous dinner party we don't have nearly often enough.

So I hope you'll stick around, check this out regularly (I'm going to try and post very regularly), and enjoy the Legal Pop.