Prof. Brad Clary ’75 Receives Prestigious Legal Writing Achievement Award

Professor Brad Clary ’75 has been named the 2020 recipient of the prestigious Thomas F. Blackwell Memorial Award for outstanding achievement in the field of legal writing.

This distinguished award is presented annually by the Association of Legal Writing Directors (ALWD) and the Legal Writing Institute (LWI) to a person who has made an outstanding contribution to improve the field of Legal Writing by demonstrating (1) an ability to nurture and motivate students to excellence; (2) a willingness to help other legal writing educators improve their teaching skills or their legal writing programs; and, (3) an ability to create and integrate new ideas for teaching and motivating legal writing educators and students.

Clary, a clinical professor of law, has served the legal writing community for 37 years, including as the president of ALWD, as a principal contributor to the second edition of the Sourcebook on Legal Writing Programs (ABA, 2d ed. 2006), as ALWD Liaison to the Council of the ABA Section on Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar, and much more.

“We are thrilled that Professor Brad Clary has received the prestigious Blackwell Award," said Dean Garry W. Jenkins. “With two decades of visionary leadership and deep commitment to students, he has established Minnesota Law’s legal writing program as one of the most preeminent in the country. It is great to see this legend so deservedly recognized by his peers in legal education.”

Clary has also served on the Minnesota Supreme Court’s Advisory Committee on Rules of Civil Appellate Procedure and Civil Justice Reform Task Force. He continues to serve on ABA accreditation committees and as an external reviewer for law schools and legal writing professors across the country.

“Brad Clary brings together legal writing and moot court pedagogy, doctrinal theory, practice skills, and the Minnesota legal community in one small office in Mondale Hall,” said Professor Christopher Soper in a letter nominating Clary for the Blackwell Award. “… [N]one can match Brad’s dedication and long-lasting impact on legal writing.”

The award will be presented at the AALS annual meeting in Washington, D.C. on the evening of Friday, Jan. 3.

Brad Clary ’75
Clinical Professor of Law Emeritus