The most talked about law blog issue of this week and last week has been the firing of Denise Howell from Reed Smith. Denise was behind the popular law blog Bag and Baggage (http://bgbg.blogspot.com). In her final blog entry, she breaks the news that she's out of a job and that she will be spending more time with her family. She went out with dignity though, and her last blog post (http://bgbg.blogspot.com/2006/07/have-aeron-will-travel.html) is bittersweet.



The fallout on the blogosphere was immediate and, a few weeks later, still going strong. Robert Ambrogi of Law.com's Blog Network kept a list of all the blogs writing about Denise's firing (http://legalblogwatch.typepad.com/legal_blog_watch/2006/07/bloggers_react_.html). Justin Patten of the Human Law blog (http://www.human-law.org/humanlaw/) says that Howell, one of the founding mothers of law blogging, was just too creative and cutting edge to fit in with a big scary law firm like Reed Smith. According to legend, it was Howell who coined the term "blawg."





While some questioned Reed Smith's wisdom in letting her go (http://legalblogwatch.typepad.com/legal_blog_watch/2006/07/lessons_from_an.html), others wondered if her termination wasn't evidence economic hardships at the firm (http://www.denniskennedy.com/blog/2006/07/is_this_what_they_teach_at_reed_smith_univers.html). Still others were happy to just celebrate Denise and her contribution to the blawgosphere. Ernie the Attorney (http://www.ernietheattorney.net/) even threw her an online baby shower.



Howell has remained quiet about her future prospects, but she says she will make sure whatever she does next will be something that satisfies her.