Do you have a complete set of Jose Arcadio Klein’s legal-themed plates yet?

If not, why not?

I guess a complete set would take up a lot of room in your office (there are a lot), but you should get at least a few.

According to his website, Klein was once a file clerk for the Superior Court of San Francisco, working at a window where his "primary responsibility was referring people to other windows."  He graduated this year from Harvard Law and is now a clerk for the Honorable Martha Walters of the Oregon Supreme Court.  In his spare time, he pursues his Legal Plate Project.

"As a collection," he says, "the Learned Handmade Plates represent an album of the American law school experience. . . . Most law students have been expected to memorize most of the cases depicted [on the plates]. . . The plates ask the eater/viewer to engage with the law as it is made by judges.  They turn the act of eating into an act of civic engagement."

Most of the plates feature an artist’s impression of the facts in a famous case.  Others, like the one above apparently showing Justice Thomas asking a question from the bench, depict fictional scenes.

At $20 apiece, or $100 for a set of six (including an excellent set on punitive damages), these are a great addition to any plateless office, or an excellent gift idea for colleagues or clients.  I’m sure this plate (right) from the upcoming "Executive Power" series would probably brighten former Secretary Rumsfeld’s day.  Send him several hundred, if you can locate his bunker.

A selection of standard plates are available through Klein’s website, but he also accepts individual commissions.  So if you have always wanted, say, the Dormant Commerce Clause brought to life, think something up and let him know.

Link: Learned Handmade Plates