About the Program

Purpose of the Burton Awards

Now in its Ninth Year and Quickly Becoming an Institution

In 1999, a unique national awards program was established which was dedicated principally to rewarding effective legal writing. The program honors partners in law firms and law school students who use plain, clear and concise language and avoid archaic, stilted legalese.

The Burton Foundation

Not-for-Profit, Academic, and Cultural Effort

The Burton Foundation is a volunteer, not-for-profit, academic organization concentrating on legal writing. With tax-exempt status as a 501 (c) (3) corporation, it offers full tax deductibility for contributors. LexisNexis is the prime sponsor of the program.

The Founder

William C. Burton, Esq.

A member of the New York and Florida bars, William C. Burton is a partner in the international law firm of D'Amato & Lynch. He is also a former New York State Assistant Attorney General, and author of the authoritative reference, Burton's Legal Thesaurus, published by McGraw Hill. Mr. Burton is the author of several articles published in the New York State Bar Association Journal, and is an outspoken advocate of plain language and modernized legal writing. In 2003 he also co-founded the Holmes Debates which is a program to address major issues facing the nation and the judiciary.

The Inaugural Awards Program

Instant Recognition

On July 12, 2000, more than 200 guests attended the inaugural program at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. 12 law-firm winners and 10 law school recipients were recognized.

The master of ceremonies was Paul Duke, moderator emeritus of the television show, Washington Week in Review. At the inaugural program, the Vice President's National Partnership for Reinventing Government participated, with Deputy Director Annetta Cheek speaking on the importance of reforming legal writing. The program received major press attention, with articles in the National Law Journal, New York Law Journal, New York Times, USA Today, California Lawyer, Legal Times and many other publications.

In 2001, the function was held at Carnegie Hall and the Master of Ceremonies was Roger Cossack, co-host of CNN's Burden of Proof. Instead of only the top 250 largest firms being invited to participate, the nomination process was extended to the top 500 law firms in the United States.

One year later, in 2002, Tom Brokaw was the guest speaker at the event held at the New York Palace. A special posthumous award was presented to honor Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes. Elizabeth Pugh, General Counsel for The Library of Congress accepted the award in memory of Justice Holmes. In 2003 Tim Russert attended the event as the main speaker. A new association was forged with the Library of Congress. The event was held in the Great Hall in the Jefferson Building in Washington, D.C.

A new award was presented for the Outstanding Reform in Law. The Judicial Council of California won the coveted prize and Justice Jim Ward of the California Court of Appeal accepted on behalf of the association. The Committee on Jury Instructions won for its efforts to rewrite the civil and criminal jury instructions. Since California has the largest court system in the United States, this was a critically important task and will have an impact on its sister states.

Nomination Process

Applications and attachments may be submitted by mail or online, solely by managing partners in the nation's 1000 largest law firms, as well as by law school deans. The 2008 Law Firm or Law School applications have been posted, and can be filled out here.

The Selection Process

Thorough Scrutiny, Complete Review

The quality and number of submissions by law firms and law schools has been extremely competitive. Award recipients were selected from nominations by deans of all of the law schools in America, as well as from nominations by managing partners of the 1000 largest U.S. law firms.