Burton Awards for Legal Achievement
| Burton Awards | |
|---|---|
| Awarded for | Outstanding accomplishments in law |
| Country | United States |
| Presented by | Burton Foundation, In association with the Library of Congress and Co-sponsored by the American Bar Association |
| First awarded | 1999-present |
| Website | http://www.burtonawards.com/ |
The Burton Awards program is run in association with the Library of Congress and co-sponsored by the American Bar Association. The awards are generally selected by professors from Harvard Law School, Yale Law School, Stanford Law School, and Columbia Law School, among others. Judge Richard Posner of the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals, Judge Alex Kozinski of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, and Judge Carol Corrigan of the Supreme Court of California are honorary members on the board of directors. In addition, U.S. Senators Cornyn, Bennett, Crapo, and Casey are also honorary members.
Each year, an elite number of Legal Writing Award winners are chosen from partners at the largest law firms in the nation, as well as Law School Award winners. Other Burton Awards are presented annually which include the "Book of the Year Award," and "Outstanding Contributions to Legal Writing Education Award." Even awards to lawyers in the military are given at the event.
The award ceremonies are annually held at the Library of Congress in Washington D.C. Prominent officials who have been guest speakers at the event have included Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer, Justice Antonin Scalia, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Justice Sonia Sotomayor and Justice John Paul Stevens (retired). In the past, other well-known dignitaries have participated in the program including Tom Brokaw, Bob Schieffer, Tim Russert, Chris Matthews, George Will and master of ceremonies, Bill Press. The entertainers have included Jay Leno, Kristen Chenoweth, Bernadette Peters, and Vanessa Williams.
Founder, William C. Burton, Esq.
The Founder and Chair of The Burton Awards for Legal Achievement is William C. Burton, Esq., partner at the law firm of Sagat|Burton LLP. He is a former New York State Assistant Attorney General, a former New York State Assistant Special Prosecutor, and is the author of the first legal thesaurus ever written for the legal profession, entitled BURTON’S LEGAL THESAURUS. The book is now in its 5th edition and quickly approaching its 35th anniversary. When the book was released, the Association of American Publishers recognized it as “one of the Most Innovative and Creative Projects of the year.”
In 2011, Mr. Burton was presented the highest honor given by the second largest association of law professors in America, The Legal Writing Institute, for “significantly advancing the cause of legal writing in the profession of law.” More recently, he was awarded the “Blackstone Award” by the Friends of the Law Library of Congress, for “embodying and promoting the best ideals of the institution.”
Awards
- Distinguished Writing Awards- Category of Law Firms Presented to the best law firm authors of articles dealing with legal issues published in the previous year.
- Distinguished Writing Awards- Category of Law Schools Presented to the best law school authors of articles dealing with legal issues published in the previous year.
- Distinguished Public Service in the Military - Presented to the finest lawyers in the military.
- Outstanding Contributions to Legal Writing Education Award - Presented for outstanding contributions to the education of new lawyers in the field of legal analysis, research and writing, whether through teaching, program design, program support, innovative thinking or writing.
- The Legends in Law Awards - * Category of General Counsel This selection is made on the following criteria: reputation in both the legal profession and as a proven authority in a specialized area of law; background and experience; complexity and scope of matters handled; global or national importance of issues confronted and proven and exemplary leadership in law.
- Book of the Year Award - Presented to the authors of the most outstanding book in the profession of law.
- The Outstanding Journalist in Law - Presented for a lifetime of achievement and accomplishment reporting on legal issues, cases or the profession.[1]
Honorary Board of Directors
The honorary and distinguished members of the Burton Awards Board of Directors include the following leaders in law: Former Chief Judge Richard Posner, 7th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals; Judge Alex Kozinski, 9th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals; U.S. Senator John Cornyn; U.S. Senator Robert P. Casey, Jr.; U.S. Senator Mike Crapo; U.S. Senator Michael F. Bennet; Supreme Court Justice Carol Corrigan of California; Yabo Lin, Partner, Sidley Austin LLP; Jane Sullivan Roberts, Partner, Major, Lindsey & Africa; Lisa Rickard, President, U.S. Chamber Institute for Legal Reform; Elissa Lichtenstein, Director, Public Services Division, American Bar Association; Thomas L. Sager, Partner, Ballard Spahr LLP; Les Parrette, Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Compliance Officer, Novelis Inc.; James M. Rishwain, Jr., Chairman of Emeritus, Pillsbury Winthrop LLP; Betty Whelchel, Head of Public Policy & Regulatory Affairs, BNP Paribas SA; Stephen R. Mysliwiec, Partner, DLA Piper LLP (US); and Brian E. Cabrera, Former SVP and General Counsel of NVIDIA Corporation.