About Me
I've spent my whole life writing and teaching writing and, for a tragically long time, practicing law. I have a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from the University of North Carolina-Greensboro and a law degree from UNC.
With my spouse Nancy Plant, I'm the coauthor of two books: Confounded Expectations: The Law’s Struggle with Personal Responsibility (Carbondale Ill: Southern Illinois University Press 2000) (a finalist for an award from the ABA as the best nonfiction book of 2000) and Seeking Civility: Common Courtesy and the Common Law (Boston: Northeastern University Press 2003). Both books were written for both the legal professional and the lay public, but I misread my market. I think they're fun to read, and the editors agreed, but sales were...sad.
I taught for six years as an instructor of English composition and literature at Auburn University. I served on the committee that managed the freshman composition curriculum, choosing texts and designing writing assignments. I came away from that work with a lifelong admiration for teachers, who work harder than anyone.
After scheming not to work as a trial lawyer in private practice, I was an Associate Counsel of SAS Institute, Inc., which when I worked there dominated the mainframe market for whatever its products were, so negotiating with customers was remarkably simple. I was also an Associate General Counsel of AIG, a conglomerate that was once a closely-held secret until it nearly brought down the world's economy in 2008. Most recently I was Of Counsel to the Seattle intellectual property firm of Steiner Norris PLLC, where my practice was mainly transactional. That gig ended when I was going to have to work solely for Amazon.com. My other clients included Washington Mutual and T-Mobile, the first of which is no more and the second of which forgot to pay me for a year.
Then I started a business, The Practical Legal Writer, LLC, through which I gave workshops and worked with young lawyers on their writing skills. I loved it, and I was really good at it, so of course the financial crisis of 2008 killed it.
I remain married to the formidable, brilliant, and wonderful Nancy K. Plant, most recently of The Nonprofit Law Office. We have a clever and powerful daughter, Kate, Valedictorian, Bainbridge High School Class of 2020 and Smith College Class of 2024. We are tolerated by two dogs: Cherry Cho Chang Potter the Chinese Fighting Dog and Lord Santorini Duke of York, the furry little white fellow pictured below.
