School of Music graduate Ian Gallacher earns prestigious legal writing award

School of Music graduate Ian Gallacher has been awarded the 2018 Thomas F. Blackwell Memorial Award for Outstanding Achievement in the Field of Legal Writing

School of Music graduate Ian Gallacher (class of 1977), Director of Legal Communication and Research and Professor in Syracuse College of Law, has been awarded the 2018 Thomas F. Blackwell Memorial Award for Outstanding Achievement in the Field of Legal Writing by the Association of Legal Writing Directors (ALWD) and the Legal Writing Institute (LWI).

The award is given to a scholar who has made an outstanding contribution to improve the field of legal writing by demonstrating an ability to motivate students to excellence; a willingness to help other legal writing educators improve their skills; and an ability to create and integrate new ideas for teaching. Gallacher was cited for his prominence in the field of legal writing, his involvement in editing legal writing journals, his work with peers on evaluation and his collaborations with other scholars to improve the field.

Ian was an active member of the Sadler Hall Folk Dance group, the Light Opera and Choral Societies and he conducted the University Union Orchestra. He has fond memories of his time at Leeds: “We music students had a phenomenal experience, with distinguished resident faculty and impressive guests, all within an active musical community.”