Late in September, in what can only be described as a David-vs.-Goliath battle, the New England Patriots came to Buffalo, N.Y., with all the swagger in the world. They had beaten the Buffalo Bills 15 times in row, boasted the leading offense in the NFL and showed up ready to extend the winning streak to 16.

Then the unthinkable happened. The Patriots lost the game on a last-second field goal. What happened?

In football, they have an expression: "On any given Sunday, anything can happen." Which means that the team that should win can lose. Is this true in the legal industry? Is there a chance for small firms to compete with Big Law?

Social media and blogging are helping the smaller firms to do just that. This is due in part to "information democracy," Dion Algeri of Great Jakes Marketing Co. explained recently during a conference in New York City organized by Hildebrandt Baker Robbins. Online, the content you create — whether blog posts, newsletters or alerts — speak for themselves. Good information is passed along, while poorly written and unhelpful information is ignored.