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    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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