As published by Bloomberg
Judge Frank Easterbrook and Judge Richard Posner were honored with lifetime-achievement awards on April 15 at the American Society of Legal Writers Scribes annual meeting, hosted by The John Marshall Law School in Chicago. Bryan Garner, a lawyer, teacher, and editor-in-chief of all current editions of Black’s Law Dictionary, moderated a Q&A session with the two recipients at the event.
This year’s Scribes program, Legal Writing: From Basics to Application, featured an ethics and writing panel; a presentation on storytelling for lawyers; an opinion writing panel; a lecture on basic writing tips; a Q&A session with Bryan Garner; and will conclude with a reception to honor lifetime-achievement award winners Easterbrook and Posner.
Easterbrook graduated Order of the Coif from the University of Chicago Law School in 1973. He clerked in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit before joining the solicitor general’s office, where he later served as deputy solicitor general of the United States. Currently, Easterbrook serves as a judge for the U.S. court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit.
Posner graduated from Harvard Law School. He clerked for Justice William J. Brennan before serving as an assistant to Commissioner Philip Elman of the Federal Trade Commission and later as assistant to the solicitor general of the United States. Posner also served as general counsel of the President’s Task Force on Communications Policy. Like Easterbrook, Posner now serves as a judge for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit.
Scribes is a national organization of legal writers dedicated to fostering a feeling of fraternity among those who write about the law. The organization hopes to help and encourage people who write about the law and above all promote a clear, succinct and forceful style in legal writing. For more than half a century, Scribes has promoted these goals by sponsoring awards, conducting programs, and publishing periodicals. John Marshall Professor Mark Wojcik is the current vice president of the organization.
John Marshall graduates are consistently selected as members of the National Order of Scribes based on their excellence in legal writing. At No. 5, John Marshall’s legal writing program is the only program in Illinois to be ranked in the top 20 by U.S. News & World Report. John Marshall’s Lawyering Skills Program is one of the most rigorous research/writing programs in the country, and it houses the largest in-school writing resource center in the U.S.
