The Burton Foundation and the Association of Legal Administrators announced today that Smith, Gambrell & Russell’s (SGR) custom magazine, Trust the Leaders, was selected as the inaugural winner of the Burton Award for best law firm publication.

Trust the Leaders magazine is published quarterly and mailed to more than 10,000 clients, friends and colleagues of SGR. “We were thrilled when we heard we would be receiving this award on such a grand stage, and we are very proud of our magazine” said Steve Forte, Managing Partner of SGR. “It is an honor to be recognized by your peers for excellence in any area of the law.”

Now in its fifth year, the purpose of the Burton National Awards Program is to reward law firms and law students who use plain, modern language and avoid archaic, stilted legalese. The relatively young awards program is quickly becoming an institution in the legal community.

The 2004 Burton Awards Program will be held in the Great Hall of The Library of Congress on June 14, 2004, and the guest speaker will be Paula Zahn, television news journalist.

The Burton Foundation is a volunteer, not-for-profit, academic organization concentrating on legal writing founded by William Burton, attorney and author of Burton’s Legal Thesaurus.