9th Biannual Forum on Plain English
February 29, 2024
10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Our one-day forum will address the following topic:
"How Laws Can Help and Hurt Plain Language in Legal Documents"
Presenter
Professor Michael Blasie is the nation’s foremost expert on plain language laws and
an Assistant Professor at Seattle University Law School. He served as a keynote speaker
at the 2023 international plain language conference. He authored United States Plain
Language Laws, the first book to analyze all US plain language laws. Professor Blasie
is a nationally and internationally recognized legal writing expert. As a National
Judicial College writing instructor, he teaches judges. He presents internationally,
including in Argentina, India, Kazakhstan, and Turkey. He graduated from Hamilton
College and NYU Law School, practiced law for ten years, and served as a law clerk
for Judge David Richman.
Program
10:00 a.m. - 10:10 a.m.
10:10 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.
11:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m.
1:00 p.m. - 1:10 p.m.
1:10 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.
2:30 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Introduction to the Forum and Session I
Session I. How Laws Can Help and Hurt Plain Language in Legal Documents (Professor Michael Blasie, Seattle University Law School)
Q&A
Lunch time
Introduction to Session II
Session II. Essential Plain Language Skills (Dr. Natalia Matveeva, Professor, Corporate Communication, UHD)
Q&A; Closing Remarks and Evaluations
Forum Organizer:
Natalia Matveeva, The Institute for Plain English Research and Study (IPERS)
Contact Information:
For questions or comments, email us at matveevan@uhd.edu or call (713) 222-5371.
Sponsors and Contributors:
This program is made possible in part by the College of Humanities and Social Sciences,
the Department of Arts and Communication, and the Institute for Plain English Research
and Study at UHD.