Arizona Personal Injury Lawyer, Richard Plattner, donated $40,000 worth of rare legal books on English Legal History to the Sandra Day O'Connor Law School Library.

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Two Phoenix attorneys, Richard Plattner and Nicholas Wallwork, along with Jonathan Rose, a law professor at the Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law at Arizona State University, were recognized for their contributions to the Ross-Blakely Law Library's English Legal History collection on April 24. As a result of their gifts, the law library has been able to acquire rare and antiquarian books dating back to 1576, focusing on medieval and early modern English legal history.

Plattner Collection at ASU College of Law, Rare Legal BooksLeft to right: Marianne Alcorn, Head Reference Librarian; Victoria Trotta, Associate Dean, Ross-Blakley Law Library; Professor of Law Jonathan Rose; Richard Plattner; Dean Patricia White pictured in the Ross-Blakley Law Library's English Legal History Room.

"We are very grateful to Richard, Nick and Jon for supporting this unique collection," said Victoria Trotta, Associate Dean for the Ross-Blakely Law Library. "Their contributions enhance the research opportunities for those seeking to learn from both original printings as well as reprints of important primary sources." 

Richard Plattner, is an ASU College of Law alumnus and founder of the Phoenix law firm, Plattner Verderame, PC. He is a board certified specialist in personal injury and wrongful death litigation and is listed in The Best Lawyers in America publication. Nicholas Wallwork is a partner in the Phoenix office of Steptoe & Johnson LLP. A Past President of the State Bar of Arizona, his practice emphasizes complex and class action cases, including disputes involving technology and commercial matters, and environmental, toxic tort, and insurance coverage matters

Included among the books acquired are Sir Robert Brooke's La Graunde Abridgement (1576), Sir Francis Bacon's Elements of the Common Lawes of England (1630) and The Great Charter (1630), and Sir Anthony Fitzherbert's La Graunde Abridgement (1577).

ASU law professor Jonathan Rose built the library's English Legal History collection by generously donating a portion of the funds he receives as a Willard H. Pedrick Distinguished Research Scholar. Trotta says that more than $15,000 worth of books have been purchased using Professor Rose's funds. Many of the books are antiquarian books published in the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries.

"I am pleased that the English Legal History collection has grown to about 3,500 volumes, which include approximately 170 antiquarian books," said Professor Rose. "Our library has built a basic working collection and these gifts have made it possible to expand it and add some particularly important books. The most famous living English legal historian, Professor Sir John Baker, told us that adding the Fitzherbert book to the collection should be our top priority. With support from Wallwork, we were able to make this purchase and Plattner's donation of 60 books added many other important works to the collection."

The English Legal History room is located on the basement floor of the Ross-Blakely Law Library. The regular collection is in open stacks and available to the public. The antiquarian books have limited access requiring staff assistance and must be used with the special procedures traditionally employed by research libraries and archival institutions.