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Résumé

Experience

President, LawProse Inc.; Dallas, Texas; Dec. 1990–present 

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Speaker in more than 3,000 public & private CLE programs since January 1991; 

consultant on legal-writing & -drafting projects (briefs, corporate documents, etc.); 

frequent expert witness on legal linguistics 

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Distinguished Research Professor of Law, Southern Methodist University 

(teaching since 1990, current title since 2009) 

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Lecturer in Law, University of Texas School of Law, 2015–present 

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Lecturer in Law, Texas Tech University School of Law, 2014, 2016 

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Lecturer in Law, Texas A&M School of Law, 2017 

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Visiting Associate Professor of Law, University of Texas at Austin, 1988–1990 

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Associate at Carrington, Coleman, Sloman & Blumenthal, Dallas, 1985–1988; Hiring Committee, 1987–1988 

 

Law clerk to Judge Thomas M. Reavley, Fifth Circuit, 1984–1985

Author

Garner’s Modern English Usage (Oxford Univ. Press, 2016) 

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The Chicago Guide to Grammar, Usage, and Punctuation (Univ. of Chicago Press, 2016) 

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Garner’s Dictionary of Legal Usage (Oxford Univ. Press, 3d ed. 2011; 2d ed. 1995; 1st ed. 1987) 

(foreword by Judge Thomas M. Reavley) 

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Making Your Case: The Art of Persuading Judges (West, 2008) (coauthored with Justice Antonin Scalia) 

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Reading Law: The Interpretation of Legal Texts (West, 2012) (coauthored with Justice Antonin Scalia) 

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The Law of Judicial Precedent  (Thomson Reuters, 2016) (coauthored with 12 appellate judges) 

(foreword by Justice Stephen Breyer) 

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Garner on Language and Writing (ABA, 2009) (foreword by Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg) 

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The Winning Brief  (Oxford Univ. Press, 3d ed. 2014; 2d ed. 2004; 1st ed. 1999) 

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The Winning Oral Argument (West, 2009) 

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Legal Writing in Plain English (Univ. of Chicago Press, 2d ed. 2013; 1st ed. 2001) 

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The Elements of Legal Style (Oxford Univ. Press, 2d ed. 2002; 1st ed. 1991) 

(foreword by Charles Alan Wright) 

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The Redbook: A Manual on Legal Style (West, 3d ed. 2013; 2d ed. 2006; 1st ed. 2002) 

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Guidelines for Drafting and Editing Legislation (RosePen, 2016) 

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(under the auspices of the Uniform Law Commission) (foreword by Judge Harriet Lansing) 

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Ethical Communications for Lawyers (LawProse, 2009) 

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Securities Disclosure in Plain English (CCH, 1999) 

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HBR Guide to Better Business Writing (Harvard Business Review, 2013) 

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The Rules of Golf in Plain English (Univ. of Chicago Press, 4th ed. 2016; 3d ed. 2013; 2d ed. 2008; 

1st ed. 2004) (coauthored with Jeffrey Kuhn) 

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Garner’s Modern American Usage (Oxford Univ. Press, 3d ed. 2009; 2d ed. 2003; 1st ed. 1998) 

(abridged as The Oxford Dictionary of American Usage and Style (2000)) 

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Quack This Way: David Foster Wallace and Bryan A. Garner Talk Language and Writing 

(RosePen, 2013)

Chief Editor

Black’s Law Dictionary (Thomson-Reuters & West, 10th ed. 2014; 9th ed. 2009; 8th ed. 2004; 

7th ed. 1999; and all pocket & abridged eds. since 1995) 

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A New Miscellany-at-Law, by Sir Robert Megarry, retired Vice Chancellor of 

England & Wales (2005) (completed & edited the book for 96-year-old friend 

who could no longer read) 

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Texas, Our Texas: Remembrances of the University (Eakin Press, 1984) 

Professional Activities

Drafting consultant to: 

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  • Standing Committee on Rules of Practice and Procedure, Judicial Conference of the United States (restyled amendments to federal rules, including complete rewrites of the Civil Rules, Appellate Rules, and Criminal Rules), 1992–1999, 2015–present 

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  • Judicial Conference of the United States (restyled the Rules for Judicial-Conduct and Judicial-Disability Proceedings), 2007–2008 

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  • United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit (restyled local rules), 1998 

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  • United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit (restyled criminal & civil jury instructions), 2008–2013 

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  • Supreme Court of Delaware (restyled Delaware civil & criminal jury charges), 1996–2003 

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  • Supreme Court of Texas (restyled Texas Rules of Appellate Procedure), 1995–1996 

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  • California Judicial Council (restyled California Rules of Appellate Procedure and Judicial Council Rules), 1997–2000 

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  • California State Bar Court (restyled procedural rules for lawyer discipline), 2009–2010 

 

  • California Political Reform Commission (revising the California Political Reform Act in plain English), 2016 

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Board of directors, Center for American and International Law (Plano, Texas), 2015–present 

 

Board of directors, Texas Law Review Association, 2000–2009 

Editorial advisory boards: 

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  • The Chicago Manual of Style (15th ed. 2003—and author of chapter 5) 

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  • The Green Bag (journal), 2004–present 

 

Columnist, “Garner on Words,” ABA Journal, Aug. 2012–present 

 

Founding editor, The Scribes Journal of Legal Writing (editor in chief 1990–2000) 

 

President, American Society of Legal Writers (Scribes), 1997–1999 (board member, 1991–present) 

 

Life member, American Law Institute (member since 1992); lead reviser, Special Committee on Bylaws and Council Rules, 1993–1994 

 

Chair, Plain-Language Committee, State Bar of Texas, 1989–1995 

 

Consultant to the Oxford Dictionary Department, Oxford, England, on various dictionaries 

including the Oxford English Dictionary, 1988–present 

 

Life fellow, Texas Bar Foundation 

 

Member, Philosophical Society of Texas, 1993–present 

 

Visiting scholar: University of Salzburg, June 1995, July 1998; University of Glasgow, July 1996; University of Cambridge, Wolfson College, July 1997 

Awards

2015 Exemplary Legal Writing Award, Green Bag Almanac, for Black’s Law Dictionary (10th ed.) 

 

2015 Bernie Siegan Award, Federalist Society, San Diego Chapter 

 

2011 Canyon High School Hall of Fame (Canyon, Texas) 

 

2010 Burton Award: Legal-Writing and Reference-Book Author of the Decade 

(Washington, D.C., presented at the Library of Congress) 

 

2010 Benjamin Franklin Book Award, Independent Book Publishers Association 

(for Garner on Language and Writing, 2009) 

 

2009 Burton Award: Outstanding Book in Law (Washington, D.C.) (for Making Your Case: 

The Art of Persuading Judges, coauthored with Justice Antonin Scalia) 

 

2005 Lifetime Achievement Award, Center for Plain Language (Washington, D.C.) 

 

2000 Scribes Book Award for Research and Writing (for Black’s Law Dictionary, 7th ed.) 

 

1998 Outstanding Young Texas Ex Award 

 

1997 Clarity Award for Clear Legal Writing, State Bar of Michigan (for role as 

principal stylistic reviser of the Federal Rules of Appellate Procedure) 

 

1994 Henry C. Lind Award, Association of Reporters of Judicial Decisions 

(for significant contributions to the improved reporting of American judicial decisions) 

Education

B.A., 1980, University of Texas at Austin 

Phi Beta Kappa; Special Honors in Plan II 

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J.D., 1984, University of Texas at Austin 

Texas Law Review, associate editor, 1983–1984; Friar Society, Abbot, 1983–1984 

 

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Honorary degrees:

 

LL.D., Stetson University College of Law, Gulfport, Florida, 2010 

 

LL.D., Thomas M. Cooley Law School, Lansing, Michigan, 2000 

 

LL.D., University of LaVerne, Ontario, California, 2007

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