The Burton Awards Announces the 2015 Distinguished Legal Writing Awards Law Firm Winners
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 16, 2015
New York, New York: The finest law firm writers of 2015 have been announced by the Burton Awards, a non-profit program, which is run in association with the Library of Congress. The 35 winners were chosen from the nominations submitted by the nation’s top 1,000 most prestigious and largest law firms.
The Academic Board, which reviewed articles published within the past year, was led by Virginia Wise, Harvard Law School; Philip M. Genty, Columbia Law School; Jeanne Merino, Stanford Law School; Judge Ed Forstenzer, California’s Superior Court (retired); William Ryan, former Chair of the White House Plain Language Committee and William C. Burton, author of Burton’s Legal Thesaurus and Founder and Chair of the event.
This year, our non-profit program, which is run in association with the Library of Congress, celebrates its Sixteenth Anniversary. The award ceremony will be followed by a reception, dinner, gala and performance by Emmy and Tony award winner Kristin Chenoweth. Additionally, we are honored that U.S. Supreme Court Justine Sonia Sotomayor will speak, and Robert Katzmann, Chief Judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, will be a part of the program.
The honorary and distinguished Board of Directors of the Burton Awards program includes: Judge Richard Posner, U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit; Chief Alex Kozinski, U.S. Court of Appeals Judge for the 9th Circuit; Judith Kaye, former Chief Judge of the New York State Court of Appeals (retired); John Cornyn, United States Senator; Robert P. Casey Jr., United States Senator; Mike Crapo, United States Senator; Michael Bennett, United States Senator; Thomas L. Sager, Partner, Ballard, Spahr LLP, Les Parrette, SVP and General Counsel, Novelis Inc, and Stephen R. Mysliwiec, Partner, DLA Piper.
The 2015 Law Firm winners are:
| Law Firm | Author(s) | Article Title |
| Alston & Bird | Kimberly Peretti, Jessica Corley, Kelley Barnaby, Lauren Tapson | Cybersecurity: What Directors Need to Know in an Era of Increased Scrutiny |
| Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP | Peter J. Isajiw, John C. Vazquez | Cybersecurity Risks Reviewed: Directors and Officers Must Be Proactive and Prepared |
| Covington & Burling LLP | Simon J. Frankel, Ethan Forrest | “Why Should That Matter?’’ The Potentially Dramatic Copyright Implications of the U.S. Supreme Court’s Aereo Decision |
| Crowell & Moring LLP | Robert T. Rhoad | Ethical Issues Arising in Healthcare Fraud Investigations and False Claims Act Qui Tam Cases |
| Davis Wright Tremaine | Christin McMeley, John D. Seiver | A Look at How Technology Is Transforming The Application of the VPPA to Digital Media |
| Dickstein Shapiro LLP | James R. Martin | Fermat’s Principle and the FTAIA: What Courts Can Learn From Optics |
| DLA Piper LLP (US) | Philip F. Zeidman | With the Best of Intentions: Observations on the International Regulation of Franchising |
| Duane Morris LLP | Joseph M. Burton | 4 Steps to Getting Serious About Law Firm Cybersecurity |
| Epstein Becker Green | Rene Y. Quashie, Ross K. Friedberg | Navigating the Telehealth Landscape: Legal & Regulatory Issues |
| Fitzpatrick, Cella, Harper & Scinto | Dominick A. Conde, Dennis Aeling | De Novo Review of Patent Claim Construction |
| Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher | Marc Fagel,Lauren Escher | A Harbinger of the SEC’s Tough New Approach to Public Company Reporting Fraud |
| Hollingsworth LLP | Donald W. Fowler, Richard O. Faulk | Federal Clean Air Act Preemption of Public Nuisance Claims: The Case for Supreme Court Resolution |
| Hunton & Williams LLP | William F. Brownell,Scott J. Stone | The Hard Reality for International Climate Agreements in the United States |
| Husch Blackwell | Edward Manzo | The Impact of the America Invents Act on Trade Secrets |
| Jenner & Block | Craig C. Martin,Sara Tonnies Horton | Patent Eligibility of 3D Printed Organs Will Soon Be an Issue |
| Kaye Scholer LLP | H. Peter Haveles Jr. | The CFTC Overreaches in Its Interpretation of the Anti-Manipulation Provisions Adopted in Dodd-Frank |
| Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton LLP | Ted Davis,Jaclyn T. Shanks | POM Wonderful LLC v. Coca-Cola Co.: The Supreme Court Juices Up Section 43(a) of the Lanham Act |
| King & Spalding LLP | David L. Balser, Johnathan R. Chally, Lawrence A. Slovensky, Zachary A. McEntyre | Interlocutory Appeal of Class Certification Decisions Under Rule 23(f): An Untapped Resource |
| Kramer Levin Natfalis & Frankel LLP | Paul Schoeman, Eric Tirschwell, Philip Ellenbogen | Separate Representation for Employees in Investigations: A Delicate Line |
| Mayer Brown | Mark Leeds | The Harder They Come: An Overview of Financial Instrument And Institution Provisions in the Ways and Means 2014 Tax Reform Proposals |
| McDermott Will & Emery | Joseph K. Urwitz | View From McDermott: What Private Equity and Hedge Funds (and Their Benefit Plan Investors) Should Know About ERISA |
| Morrison & Foerster | Christine Lyon, Melissa Crespo | Employer Access to Employee Social Media: Applicant Screening, ‘Friend’ Requests and Workplace Investigations |
| Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman | Brian E. Finch | Series on Cyber Security |
| Proskauer Rose LLP | Ron Meisburg, Jon L. Dueltgen | NLRB—Much Ado About Work Rules and Social Media Policies |
| Pryor Cashman LLP | Todd E. Soloway, Joshua D. Bernstein, Eric D. Dowell | Enforceability of Indefinite Terms In Real Estate Contracts |
| Ropes & Gray LLP | Colleen Conry, Alexandre H. Rene, Anthony C. Biagioli | Trade Secret Traps for the Unwary: Potential Corp. Criminal Liability as U.S. Trade Secrets Enforcement Accelerates |
| Schulte Roth & Zabel LLP | Gary Stein | Pension Forfeiture and Prosecutorial Policy-Making |
| Sidley Austin LLP | Joel S. Feldman, Daniel R. Thies | Comcast’s Lasting Impact: Crystallization and Affirmation of the Rule 23(b)(3) Predominance Requirement |
| Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP | Steven R. Glaser | Statutes of Limitations for Equitable and Remedial Relief in SEC Enforcement Actions |
| Stroock & Stroock & Lavan LLP | Steven W. Rabitz | DOL Re-Opens Brokerage Window Inquiry: Will It Clear the Air or Leave Participants in ‘Pane’? |
| Sullivan & Cromwell LLP | Nicolas de Boynes | Exit Taxation in the EU After DMC |
| Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP | Glenn D. West | That Pesky Little Thing Called Fraud |
| White & Case | Stefan Mentzer, Priya Srinivasan | 9th Circ. Made 3 Errors In ‘Innocence Of Muslims’ |
| Wiley Rein LLP | Ralph J. Caccia, Scott D. Delacourt, Gregory M. Williams, P. Nicholas Peterson | Telecommunications Industry in the Government’s FCPA Crosshairs |
| WilmerHale | Amanda L. Major, Johnathan Uffelman | A Practitioner’s Guide to Post-Octane Fitness Decisions: The New Landscape of Section 285 Attorney Fees |
THE BURTON AWARDS PROGRAM
The Burton Awards, established in 1999, is funded by the Burton Foundation, a non-profit, academic effort devoted to recognizing and rewarding excellence in the legal profession. The Burton Awards was established to honor the finest accomplishments in law, including writing, reform, public service and interest, regulatory innovation, and lifetime achievements in the profession.
THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS
This prominent institution is one of the most celebrated and distinguished libraries in the world. It was established on April 24, 1800, and since that time has grown to become one of the largest repositories in history. The Library of Congress functions as both a national library and as the research arm of the U.S. Congress. It contains more than 32 million catalogued books and more than 62 million manuscripts.
WILLIAM C. BURTON, ESQ., Founder and Chair
The Founder and Chair of The Burton Awards for Legal Achievement is William C. Burton, Esq., a partner in 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. He was recognized 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.”