HARRISBURG (Nov. 22, 2013) - The PBA Plain English Committee has presented its 2013 Clarity Award to Richard B. Klein. Klein is a former Superior Court of Pennsylvania and Common Pleas Court of Philadelphia judge and a current member of the Dispute Resolution Institute, a private alternative dispute resolution organization based in Philadelphia.

The award, presented to Klein during a ceremony at the Holiday Inn Harrisburg East, was created by the committee to recognize "those who have done the most to foster plain English in the legal field." The committee's mission is to reward and encourage efforts to improve access to the law by demystifying legal language and to enable lawyers to better counsel clients and increase respect for the legal profession by removing the barriers of legalese.

Klein was a leading force in founding the PBA Plain English Committee 15 years ago and served as its first co-chair.

Klein taught legal writing for many years at the Temple University School of Law and still devotes significant time to teaching continuing legal education, law school, and judicial courses on plain language both within Pennsylvania and beyond. He is also co-author of the West Publications book, Trial Communication Skills.

Klein also is a member of the PBA Alternative Dispute Resolution Committee and the Appellate Advocacy Committee and served on the American Bar Association’s Plain English Committee.

Earlier this year, Klein received the 2013 PBA Alternative Dispute Resolution Committee's Sir Francis Bacon Award, which is given to an individual who excels in the area of alternative dispute resolution and has had a significant professional impact in the practice of ADR in Pennsylvania.

Klein is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Amherst College and graduated with honors from Harvard Law School. He is the educational leader for legal-study tours sponsored by the Corporation for Professional Conferences and has led trips to Russia, China, Greece, Egypt, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Vietnam, and South Africa.

Founded in 1895, the Pennsylvania Bar Association exists to promote justice, professional excellence and respect of the law; improve public understanding of the legal system; facilitate access to legal services; and serve the 28,000 lawyers who are members of the association.