Long before the concept of semiotics was introduced into the context of law and legal discourse, the Honorable Professor John Reed, LL.D., focused in his law lectures on what legal meaning is, how future lawyers should have regard to legal meaning in their own practice, and, above all, how meaning emerges in law. In his analysis of the relationship between the law of nations and the law of the United States, he articulated the process of how legal meanings develop. Reed stands surprisingly well in the shadow of Sir William Blackstone and had knowledge and awareness of law within the global community. A good deal of work remains to be undertaken with respect to Reed: the fate of his personal library is unknown; his judicial decisions remain unanalyzed, as does his law practice in the area. Yet his enduring legacy to future generations as educator and jurist included the emergence of semiotic sensitivity of each individual lawyer.