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20 Second Draft 1 (2005)

handle is hein.journals/secnd20 and id is 1 raw text is: U On May 11, 2005, Adam Milani, a member of Mercer Law School's legal writing faculty, died from complica- tions following surgery in an Atlanta hospital. Adam was a model of com- petence, compassion, and courage, and the impact of his life is profound. Despite complete paralysis in his lower body and limited use of his arms and hands, Adam successfully championed two causes during his much-too-brief life: equality for dis- abled people and the importance of effective legal writing in the practice of law. The legal writing profession- and the world at large-has suffered a tremendous loss with Adam's passing. Adam never used his disability as an excuse. He never had to. Adam's many accomplishments serve as a tes- A Tribute tament to his talent and his courage. The Scholar. Adam was a prolific legal scholar. He wrote or co-wrote numerous books and law review arti- cles in the areas of disability discrimi- nation and legal writing. Many of Adam's scholarly works have been cited by state and federal courts, including the United States Supreme Court. In 2003, Adam was honored for his legal scholarship by being elected to the prestigious American Law Institute. The Teacher. Adam was also a talented teacher. Students often com- mented that they learned more than doctrine when they took a class with Adam; they also learned by example what it means to be dedicated and professional. Adam was one of those rare law teachers who inspired his students to be better lawyers and bet- ter people. In 2001, the graduating students in Mercer's legal writing cer- tificate program honored Adam for his exceptional teaching by presenting him with the first Honorary Certificate in Legal Writing. The Warrior. Adam was also a fierce warrior. Not satisfied to simply let his scholarship expose the inequities of disability discrimination, Adam took a more active role in fight- ing for the rights of the disabled. Adam regularly gave speeches on disability discrimination to both legal and non-legal audiences. He also served as a consultant to disability attorneys around the country and even co-wrote an amicus brief in the Supreme Court case of The PGA Tour v. Casey Martin. Adam volunteered his expertise in disability law by serv- ing on the boards of several local serv- ice organizations. In 2004, Adam was honored by his undergraduate alma mater, the University of Notre Dame, for his outstanding public service. As if that were not enough, Adam also fought valiantly to improve the status of legal writing in the legal academy. Even before Mercer con- verted its legal writing positions to tenure-track positions, Adam demon- strated through action that legal writing professionals can effectively perform the tasks traditionally required of tenure-track faculty: pro- ducing quality scholarship, being an effective teacher, and providing serv- ice to the law school and the commu- nity. Adam's dedication and hard work contributed in no small measure to the conversion, and in 2002, Adam received tenure at Mercer under the new system he helped create. The Friend. Adam was also one of the most generous and friendly peo- ple you will ever meet. He freely shared pedagogical advice and mate- rials with his Mercer colleagues as well as with other legal writing pro- fessionals around the country. Adam was well known for his warm and gracious attitude toward everyone he encountered. Because of Adam's many accom- plishments, and because Adam rarely complained about his disability, many people who worked closely with Adam would say that they often lost sight of his disability. Such a view of Adam is both a tribute and a disserv- ice. Adam worked hard to put those around him at ease and to demon- strate his tremendous capabilities. To lose sight of his disability, however, is to loose sight of how truly remarkable CONTINUED ON PAGE 7

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