Aug. 17, 2009

The American Society of Legal Writers Announces New Executive Director Norman E. Plate

Associate Professor Norman Plate

The Thomas M. Cooley Law School today announced that Associate Professor Norman E. Plate is the new executive director of Scribes, the American Society of Legal Writers.

Scribes is a national society of more than 2,000 judges, lawyers, law professors, legal publishers, legal writers and legal editors who are dedicated to improving legal writing across the profession by sponsoring workshops, competitions, institutes and publications.

“Professor Plate brings a tremendous amount of experience in academia and state government to Scribes,” said Joseph Kimble, the former executive director and the current editor in chief of The Scribes Journal of Legal Writing. “His unique experience, energy, and dedication will ensure that Scribes is living out its mission to improve legal writing.”

Before joining Cooley in 2005, Plate was a legal research
and writing instructor at Capital University Law School in Columbus, Ohio. He has worked in several capacities with the Ohio Attorney General’s office, from an assistant attorney general in the Health and Human Services Section to chief of the Corrections Litigation Section. He also has served as an assistant attorney general in the Utah Attorney General’s Office.
Plate received his undergraduate degree from the University of Notre Dame and his juris doctor from the University of Illinois College of Law.

Scribes presents three annual writing awards, publishes a quarterly newsletter, The Scrivener, and publishes The Scribes Journal of Legal Writing, the first scholarly journal devoted exclusively to effective legal writing. Both publications are produced at Cooley’s Lansing campus, which houses the Scribes main office.

Several other Cooley faculty members hold positions with Scribes as well, including Joseph Kimble, editor in chief of The Scribes Journal of Legal Writing; Jane Siegel, editor of The Scrivener; and Mark Cooney, assistant editor of The Scribes Journal of Legal Writing.

Cooley Law School is the largest law school in the nation.  Founded in 1972, it operates J.D. programs across Michigan in Ann Arbor, Auburn Hills, Grand Rapids and Lansing.  Today, Cooley Law School has more than 13,000 graduates across the nation and worldwide and also offers joint degree and master of laws programs.  Cooley offers enrollment three times a year; in January, May and September.   Additional information about Cooley can be found at cooley.edu.