was founded in 1953 to honor legal writers and encourage a "clear, succinct, and forceful style in legal writing."  We seek to promote better writing across the legal community — in the courthouse, the law office, the publishing house, and the law school. And we hope to spread the growing scorn for legal writing that is archaic, turgid, obscure, and needlessly dull.

Scribes gives three annual writing awards; publishes a quarterly newsletter, The Scrivener; and publishes a unique and highly regarded journal, The Scribes Journal of Legal Writing.  To learn more about these activities, use the links on the left.

In addition, Scribes sponsors occasional legal-writing programs. Click here to view or download one we presented at Stetson University College of Law. Click here for a press release about a panel we sponsored on writing jury instructions.

Finally, any member of the legal profession can join Scribes. There's a link on the left to our application form.  Please note that we also have a category of institutional membership for law schools and appellate courts.  You can find more information by clicking the "Governing Documents" link and checking the bylaws under article 1, section 1(a).