Law professor to receive prestigious legal writing award

Judy Stinson, associate dean for Academic Affairs and Clinical Professor of Law, has been named the winner of the 2012 Thomas F. Blackwell Memorial Award for Outstanding Achievement in the Field of Legal Writing.

The distinguished award, given by the Association of Legal Writing Directors and the Legal Writing Institute, is presented annually to a person who has made an outstanding contribution to improve the field of legal writing by demonstrating an ability to nurture and motivate students to excellence; a willingness to help other legal writing educators improve their teaching skills or their legal writing programs; and an ability to create and integrate new ideas for teaching and motivating legal writing educators and students.

“Through her leadership at the College of Law and her tireless involvement with students for nearly two decades, Judy has consistently brought out the best in both students and educators,” said Dean Douglas Sylvester. “There isn’t a more deserving recipient of this award, and we are very proud of Judy for this recognition.”

“I am incredibly honored to have been selected for the Blackwell Award,” Stinson said. “I am grateful to Arizona State for recognizing the important role that legal writing plays in the law school curriculum and I could not have done this without the support of my friends and colleagues at ASU and in the national legal writing community.”

Stinson has traveled the country for more than a decade speaking to legal writing faculty about teaching legal research and writing, most recently addressing her colleagues as the invited plenary speaker for the Western States Legal Writing Conference. Her presentations have included, “Succeeding in the Legal Writing Triathlon,” “Teaching Legal Writing from a Different Perspective” and “The Tao of Legal Writing,” among many others.

The Blackwell Award reception will be held on Jan. 4, 2013, during the AALS annual convention in New Orleans.