August 2012 Archives

Ever wonder where all the legal information here at FindLaw.com comes from? The answer lies with our teams of lawyers and engineers. And technically, a few "Mavericks" as well.

Most of what a visitor sees in FindLaw's Learn About the Law section comes from the minds of FindLaw's lawyers. These lawyer-writers break down laws and legal principles so everyday consumers can understand them.

But FindLaw also boasts a bevy of court decisions, state laws, and federal laws, straight from the source. And that's where our engineers and "Mavericks" come in.

We could tell you that FindLaw Answers switched to a Paleo diet, took up Pilates, and got a glycolic peel. We could claim that it's been getting more sleep and drinking more water.

But honestly, the transformation is too substantial to attribute to exercise and diet.

The truth is that Answers got a face lift.

"There are three good reasons to be a teacher--June, July and August." - Author Unknown

Well it looks like August is almost over and you know what that means...back to school time! More than just shopping for the latest clothes and buying books, did you know that there are a lot of legal issues parents and students should consider when preparing for the upcoming school year? Here at FindLaw, we have been working hard to make sure that all your legal bases are covered and you and your children start school on the right foot.

Werner Colangelo, FindLaw.com's Manager of Analytics and Audience, certainly knows a lot about you. Don't worry, not you personally, although it is Colangelo's job to understand how our users use FindLaw. Once he's done stalking you -- er, compiling anonymous analytical data pertaining to our users -- he tries to figure out why you do what you do at FindLaw.com.

Colangelo describes it like this:

We collect data on how people interact or behave with our site and then develop insights. Why are people reading a particular section? How can we replicate this with other sections? So then we convey this with the content folks.

After all, we didn't become the top destination for legal information without getting to know our users. So what, exactly, do we know about you? When asked, Colangelo said, "I could describe the average FindLaw user, but it's actually not that interesting or useful."

Say what?