EP. 157 – Bryan Garner (Black's Law Dictionary)

The Hearing – A Legal Podcast

Following the recent release of the 12th Edition of Black's Law Dictionary, The Hearing is privileged to welcome its Editor-in-Chief, Bryan Garner, to the show. And to be honest, we're a bit nervous to write this description of our conversation with this esteemed grammarian, lexicographer, and lawyer!
You don't hear about fourth graders naming "shan't" as a contraction or teenagers amassing a large vocabulary to impress potential dates. And we don't know about you, but we were too busy staying afloat the first week of law school to begin working on a legal dictionary – and still too busy during our clerkship to see it through to publication. But none of us is Bryan Garner.
Bryan chats with Jennifer about his long-time love of linguistics and the obstacles he overcame – from unsupportive professors, uninterested publishers, uncongenial colleagues, and scarce funds – to pursue his passion and strike out on his own. Bryan also pulls back the curtain on the process of editing and updating Black's – and invites you to be a part of it!
To learn more about Bryan Garner, visit https://lawprose.org/bryan-garner/.