Program Takes Aim at Legalese; Recognizes Attorneys And Law Students f

Program Takes Aim at Legalese; Recognizes Attorneys And Law Students for Clear, Concise Writing; LexisNexis to Sponsor Sixth Annual Burton Awards for Legal Achievement

    Business Editors

    DAYTON, Ohio--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 12, 2005--On June 6, deans from the nation's top law schools, federal judges and partners from some of the largest law firms will gather at an event created by a non-profit venture devoted to wiping out one of the legal profession's most identifying vestiges--legalese.
    The Burton Awards, a not-for-profit awards program founded by D'Amato & Lynch partner William Burton, recognizes lawyers and law students who use plain, clear and precise language (and avoid archaic and stilted legalese). This year's program is sponsored by LexisNexis(R) U.S., a leading provider of legal, news and business information services.
    The June 6 awards banquet will honor attorneys from 30 law firms and 15 law students. In addition, the program will recognize federal Judge Richard Posner (U. S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit) with the LexisNexis Best Judicial Writing Award. The program will also recognize Darby Dickerson, Vice President and Dean at Stetson University College of Law, with the Outstanding Contributions to Legal Education Writing Award. Awards also will be presented by the Association of Legal Administrators recognizing law firm publications.
    The black-tie event will be held in the Great Hall of the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. and feature guest speaker Chris Matthews from MSNBC's "Hardball with Chris Matthews."
    For more information on the event and The Burton Awards for Legal Achievement, visit www.burtonawards.com.

    2005 Burton Award winners:

    Law firms

--	Arent Fox PLLC - Karen F. Candreva (New York)
--	Arnold & Porter LLP - William W. Vodra, Arthur N. Levine (Washington, D.C)
--	Baker & Mckenzie - William Lynch Schaller (Chicago)
--	Bingham Mccutchen LLP - Jay S. Zimmerman, Matthew J. Kelly (Boston)
--	Bracewell & Giuliani LLP - Kevin A. Ewing, Jason B. Hutt, Erik E. Petersen (Washington, D.C)
--	Brinks Hofer Gilson & Lione - Jerome Gilson, Anne Gilson Lalonde (Chicago)
--	Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP - Adam Rogoff, Ingrid Bagby, Charlie Wang (New York)
--	Dechert LLP - Robert C. Heim (Philadelphia)
--	DLA Piper Rudnick Gray Cary US LLP - Claudia Salomon (New York)
--	Faegre & Benson LLP - Steven D. Zansberg, Pamela Campos (Denver)
--	Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner LLP - David M. Kelly, Monica Riva Talley (New York)
--	Gardere Wynne Sewell LLP - Randy D. Gordon (Dallas)
--	Jackson Walker LLP - Byron F. Egan (Dallas)
--	Jenner & Block LLP - Adam Petravicius (Chicago)
--	King & Spalding LLP - Russell G. Ryan (Washington, D.C)
--	Latham & Watkins LLP - Alexandra A. E. Shapiro, Noreen A. Kelly-Najah (New York)
--	Mayer, Brown, Rowe & Maw, LLP - Andrew L. Frey (New York)
--	Morrison Mahoney LLP - Tory A. Weigand (Boston)
--	Patton Boggs LLP - Douglas B. Mishkin (Washington, D.C.)
--	Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP - Joseph J. Simons, David T. Scheffman (Washington, D.C.)
--	Porzio, Bromberg & Newman, P.C. - Terri Jane Freedman, Elizabeth A. Martin, Matthew D. Laskowski (Morristown, NJ)
--	Proskauer Rose LLP - Christopher Wolf (Washington, D.C.)
--	Salans - Peter Gallagher, Derek McNally (New York)
--	Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP - Joseph M. Mclaughlin (New York)
--	Sterne, Kessler, Goldstein & Fox P.L.L.C. - Melissa S. Sellers, Tracy-Gene G. Durkin (Baltimore / Washington, D.C.)
--	Sullivan & Cromwell - Frank Aquila (New York)
--	Thompson Hine LLP - Stephen D. Williger, Robin M. Wilson (Cleveland)
--	Vinson & Elkins, L.L.P. - Robert Walters, Mark Curriden (Dallas)
--	Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP - Stephen A. Radin (New York)
--	White & Case LLP - Pieter H. F. Bekker (New York)

    Law Schools:

    -- Arizona State University College Of Law - Jay Prendergast

    -- Columbia Law School - Meghann E. Donahue

    -- Duke University School Of Law - J. Christopher Baird

    -- Georgetown University Law Center - Carolle Kim

    -- Golden Gate University School Of Law - Jennifer Alexis Smythe

    -- Howard University School Of Law - Monya M. Bunch

    -- Michigan State University College Of Law - Joseph J. Gavin

    -- Northwestern University School Of Law - Andrianna D. Kastanek

    -- Pace School Of Law - Colleen Carey

    -- Stanford Law School - Daniel S. Goldman

    -- Stetson University College Of Law - Carrie Ann Wozniak

    -- University Of Illinois College Of Law - Matthew J. Meyer

    -- University Of Michigan Law School - Carolyn V. Juarez

    -- University Of Missouri-Columbia School Of Law - J. Andrew
    Hirth

    -- University Of Pennsylvania School Of Law - Indraneel Sur

    The Burton Foundation

    The Burton Foundation is a nonprofit, cultural and academic organization devoted to further promoting the stature of the legal profession. The founder of the Burton Awards for Legal Achievement and co-founder of the Holmes Debates is William C. Burton, a partner in the international law firm of D'Amato & Lynch. He is a former New York State Assistant Attorney General and the author of the authoritative reference book, Burton's Legal Thesaurus, published by McGraw-Hill.

    About LexisNexis

    LexisNexis(R) (www.lexisnexis.com) is a leader in comprehensive and authoritative legal, news and business information and tailored applications. A member of Reed Elsevier Group plc (NYSE:ENL)(NYSE:RUK) (www.reedelsevier.com), the company does business in 100 countries with 13,000 employees worldwide. In addition to its flagship Web-based Lexis(R) and Nexis(R) research services, the company includes some of the world's most respected legal publishers such as Martindale-Hubbell, Matthew Bender, Butterworths, JurisClasseur, Abeledo-Perrot and Orac.
    In the United States, LexisNexis(R) Total Research System (www.lexisnexis.com) offers an extensive range of online and print legal and regulatory information products, tools, customized Web applications and critical filing services that help legal professionals reach confident decisions and comply with the law.

--30--KR/cl*

CONTACT: LexisNexis Holly Michael, 937-865-8852 holly.michael@lexisnexis.com

KEYWORD: OHIO INDUSTRY KEYWORD: LEGAL/LAW SOURCE: LexisNexis

Copyright Business Wire 2005