Energy Practice Group Celebrates One Year of Blogging
August 30, 2006
HOUSTON (August 30, 2006) – Bracewell & Giuliani celebrates the one-year anniversary of its online Energy Legal Blog, which launched at http://energylegalblog.com in August 2005 as the first energy regulatory blog produced among Texas’ Top 10 law firms. Powered by regulatory experts in Bracewell’s Washington, D.C., office, the blog has become a valuable client and industry resource for updates and analysis of national and regional energy issues.
“While personal contact with clients is the best way to communicate, nearly everyone is online and expects to be able to get the information he or she needs there,” said Dan Watkiss, energy blog editor-in-chief. “The blog makes it possible for Bracewell to be a preferred and timely source for that information. We want people to check our Web site regularly to learn about energy industry happenings.”
Since its inception, the Energy Legal Blog has provided thoughts and predictions on breaking national energy issues, including:
- California’s power challenges
- Alaska’s natural gas pipeline negotiations
- Renewable energy and environmental issues
- Updates from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
- Latest regulation by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC)
- Energy Policy issues, and many other time-sensitive proceedings.
Many stories on the site record as many as 100 hits. As a legal Web log, readers won’t find personal anecdotes and chats, but instead, concise and timely reporting on a wide range of energy law issues. Currently, the team is upgrading the blog to provide cross-reference links to additional resources such as government and media sites. Another recent enhancement is to offer more internal cross-referencing to help blog readers in their search for energy-related information.
In addition to celebrating one year of blogging, Bracewell & Giuliani reached another milestone this summer with its 200th blog entry. “Today people are inundated with information, but the blog is great because it provides a quick stop for continual updates in the energy field and is a resource that can be utilized as much or as little as a reader would like,” said attorney Andrea Kells, a contributing writer for the blog. Bracewell & Giuliani’s team of experts that write and edit the blog includes:
- Dan Watkiss, Partner, Energy Markets and Regulation, Renewable Energy, Liquefied Natural Gas, Antitrust and Competition
- John Bartus, Counsel, Energy Markets and Regulation (Formerly trial counsel with FERC)
- Gunnar Birgisson , Attorney, Energy Markets and Regulation, Global Projects, Liquefied Natural Gas, Renewable Energy
- Tracy Davis, Attorney, Energy Markets and Regulation
- Andrea Kells, Attorney, Energy Markets and Regulation.
One benefit of the Energy Legal Blog is that writers can post a story within a day or two of finding the news lead or learning of the industry development rather than waiting for it to be published at the end of the month in a traditional newsletter. “We realized we needed a more timely communication piece for our clients, and we’ve achieved it with our blog” said Gunnar Birgisson, attorney and blog contributor.
To visit the Bracewell & Giuliani Energy Legal Blog go to http://energylegalblog.com.