Writing and Editing: Structure and Organization

Patrick Barry is a clinical assistant professor at the University of Michigan Law School and a visiting lecturer at the University of Chicago Law School. He is the author of several books on advocacy, including Good with Words: Writing and Editing, The Syntax of Sports, and the forthcoming series Notes on Nuance. An All-American soccer player in college, he earned his law degree from the University of Chicago, where he was a member of the Law Review and won both the Thomas R. Mulroy Prize in Appellate Advocacy and the Ann Barber Watson Prize for Outstanding Service. After law school, Professor Barry completed a PhD in English from the University of Michigan, with a special focus on the theatrical aspects of Supreme Court confirmation hearings. During that time, he worked with other Michigan faculty to create Clinnect, a global network of legal clinics devoted to combatting human trafficking. He then did a dual clerkship in Las Vegas for The Hon. Jennifer A. Dorsey and The Hon. Andrew P. Gordon. Among his teaching awards are the Wayne Booth Prize for Excellence in Teaching, the Provost’s Innovation in Teaching Prize, and the Outstanding Research Mentor Award. In addition, he was recently selected as a faculty fellow by the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion’s Center for Educational Outreach. A member of the California bar, he currently teaches in the Veterans Clinic at Michigan and in the International Human Rights Clinic at Chicago. He also regularly works with law firms, state governments, and nonprofit organizations to improve their written and spoken advocacy.