The 2000 Event

The Inaugural Program

On July 12, 2000, more than 200 guests attended the inaugural program at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. All 12 law-firm winners (and their spouses) were guests at the program, and were presented with stylish obelisks. In addition, 10 law-school winners were given travel allowances, hotel accommodations and complimentary dinner tickets, as well as the modern awards.

The Master of Ceremonies was Paul Duke, moderator emeritus of the television show, Washington Week in Review. The Vice President's National Partnership for Reinventing Government also participated in the program, 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, California Lawyer, Legal Times and many other legal publications.

The Selection Process

The inaugural competition was intense. Award-winning submissions contained writing of the highest quality. Award recipients were selected from nominations by deans of 181 ABA-accredited law schools, as well as from nominations by managing partners of the 100 largest U.S. law firms.

The 2000 Officers and Speakers

William C. Burton, founder and chairman, welcomes the audience to the 2000 awards program. More than 50 federal regulators -- part of a network of officials dedicated to clarifying and modernizing legal writing in government regulations and communications -- were guests at the function.

Paul Duke, moderator emeritus of the television show, Washington Week in Review, kept the program lively as Master of Ceremonies. The room at the National Press Club was filled with more than 200 members of the legal community and plain-language advocates.

Annetta L. Cheek, a senior member of former Vice President Gore's National Partnership for Reinventing Government, stresses the need to reform legal writing in government communications and regulations.

Virginia Wise, academic chair of the awards program, speaks on her involvement in the program and the need for enriched legal writing. Ms. Wise is a lecturer on law at Harvard University. During the dinner, Mr. Burton stated that "Virginia Wise's involvement as the Academic Chair was indispensable to the program's success and added even greater prominence and stature to the program."

Judge Edward Forstenzer, member of the Academic Committee of the awards program, presents the perspective of legal writing by the bench. Judge Forstenzer serves on the Superior Court of California and is a widely acclaimed member of the judiciary.

Partners and Counsel National Award Winners

Stanley J. Marcuss, Partner at Bryan Cave, who oversees the firm's international trade practice, explains the genesis of his award-winning article, "Grist for the Litigation Mill in U.S. Sanctions Programs".

Stephen R. Mysliwiec, Partner at Piper Marbury Rudnick & Wolfe, whose practice concentrates on insurance law, explains his approach to writing his prize-winning article. Mr. Mysliwiec's acclaimed article is titled "Insurance Coverage for Claims of Latent Defects: What Protection is a Builder Buying?".

Ms. Joan A. Lukey, a Senior Partner in Hale & Dorr, who concentrates her practice in employment and civil litigation, is shown speaking at the awards dinner on the import of her article. Ms Lukey is currently the president of the Boston Bar Association. Her article was co-authored with Ahaviah Glasser of Mintz Levin Cohen Ferris Glovsky & Popeo in Boston. Their article is titled "When Principles Collide: The Intersection of the Anti-Slapp Statute, The Fair Employment Practices Act, and Defamation Law".

Terence J. Lynam, Partner at Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld, whose area of concentration is white collar crime and civil litigation, accepts a Burton obelisk for his article, "Dilemma of Dismissing a Juror During Deliberations".

Karen Brinkmann, of Counsel to Latham & Watkins, shares her reflections on the article she co-authored with Gary M. Epstein, Senior Partner at the firm. The article is titled "Confusion in the Age of Convergence". Both practitioners provide regulatory and transactional expertise on telecommunication and electronic media areas of the law.

Law School National Award Winners

Amanda J. Vaughn of Vanderbilt University School of Law receives her Burton Award. Ms. Vaughn was the Notes Editor for the Vanderbilt Law Review and is now a Law Clerk in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Her article was entitled "The Use of Nonprofit 'Defense' Under Section 7 of the Clayton Act".

Lawrence Judson Welle of the College of William and Mary School of Law is acknowledged at the national awards ceremonies. Mr. Welle was the Editor-in-Chief of the William & Mary Law Review, and after graduation in 1977 spent five months walking the entire Appalachian Trail. His winning article was "Power, Policy and the Hyde Amendment; Ensuring Sound Judicial Interpretation of the Criminal Attorney's Fees Laws".

Benjamin J. Priester of Duke University School of Law accepts the literary award at the Washington, D.C. ceremonies. He graduated in December 1998 summa cum laude. Mr. Priester is presently a Law Clerk in the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit.

Accepting on behalf of their daughter, Michelle Taryn Friedland, Stanford University School of Law, are Tom and Sandy Friedland. Michelle Friedland was the salutatorian of her graduating class. She has accepted an invitation to clerk this year for Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor. Her winning article is titled "Not Disabled Enough: The A.D.A.'s Major 'Life Activity' Definition of Disability".

2000 Law Firm Recipients

KAREN BRINKMANN AND GARY M. EPSTEIN
Lathan & Watkins

STEPHEN MYSLIWIEC
Piper Marbury Rudnick and Wolfe

ROBERT F. BAUER
Perkins Coie

CHARLES G. COLE
Steptoe & Johnson

RICHARD ROSEN
Paul, Wiess, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison

DIXIE LEE LASWELL PETERSON
Seyfarth, Shaw, Fairweather & Geraldson

MICHAEL B. GERRARD
Arnold & Porter

DON RUSHING AND MARY LEHMAN
Gray Cary Ware & Freidenrich

TERENCE J. LYNAM
Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld

JOAN A. LUKEY AND AHAVIAH D. GLASER
Covington & Burling

SARA E. TAYLOR AND HAROLD J. FELD
Paul, Wiess, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison

STANLEY J. MARCUS
Bryan Cave