I am sad to say that Tim Robinson died at the age of 58 of complications from colon cancer surgery. Tim was a giant both in legal publishing and in online publishing. A former Washington Post reporter who covered legal affairs, he became editor of the National Law Journal in 1980 and then editor and associate publisher of the Los Angeles Daily Journal in 1989. He joined Excite and became a pioneer in online journalism. Earlier this year, he moved from California to Washington, D.C., to become editorial director for search and navigation at America Online.

I met Tim in 1988. Although we lived on opposite coasts for many years, we managed to stay in touch by e-mail and the occasional telephone call. Two years ago, when I was editor of the National Law Journal, Tim stopped in, unannounced, to pay me a visit. That was the last time I saw him. Tim was intelligent, quick-witted, commanding and always entertaining. He will be missed.

Photo of Bob Ambrogi Bob Ambrogi

Bob is a lawyer, veteran legal journalist, and award-winning blogger and podcaster. In 2011, he was named to the inaugural Fastcase 50, honoring “the law’s smartest, most courageous innovators, techies, visionaries and leaders.” Earlier in his career, he was editor-in-chief of several legal publications, including The National Law Journal, and editorial director of ALM’s Litigation Services Division.