Bryan A. Garner

Bryan A. Garner is the nation’s foremost authority on legal writing, legal language, and English usage. For more than four decades, lawyers, judges, and law students have turned to his books to write more clearly, think more precisely, and become more persuasive advocates. His works have become essential references in law offices, court chambers, and law schools across the United States.

Professor Garner is the author of more than 32 books, including the bestselling Garner’s Modern English Usage (5th ed., 2022), Reading Law: The Interpretation of Legal Texts (coauthored with Justice Antonin Scalia), and four unabridged editions of Black’s Law Dictionary—the most widely used legal dictionary in the English-speaking world. His books are cited regularly by courts at every level of the American judiciary, including the Supreme Court of the United States, and have helped shape modern legal writing, statutory interpretation, and judicial reasoning.

A lawyer, grammarian, and lexicographer, Professor Garner serves as Distinguished Research Professor of Law at Southern Methodist University and has also taught at the University of Texas School of Law, Texas A&M School of Law, and Texas Tech School of Law.

His contributions have earned widespread recognition, including the Burton Award as Legal-Writing and Reference-Book Author of the Decade, the Benjamin Franklin Book Award, the Scribes Book Award, the Bernie Siegan Award, and the Center for Plain Language’s Lifetime Achievement Award.

Whether explaining the finer points of English usage, the craft of persuasive advocacy, or the principles of legal interpretation, Professor Garner has become the trusted guide for generations of legal professionals. His books continue to set the standard for clear thinking and clear writing.