The ABA Young Lawyers Division will honor Justin Heather, co-editor of the Illinois State Bar Association's YLD newsletter, with its National Outstanding Young Lawyer Award. The YLD will present the award during the ABA Midyear Meeting in Orlando, Fla., on Saturday, Feb. 6. The YLD presents this award annually to a young lawyer who exemplifies professional excellence, service to the legal profession and the bar, service to the community, and who has a reputation for the advancement of legal ethics and professional responsibility. Heather, a litigation associate with the law firm of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP, concentrates his practice on complex corporate litigation. He represents clients in a variety of disputes, including international gas and oil matters, intellectual property, securities law, bankruptcy, franchise law, complex commercial contracts, and mergers and acquisitions. In his eight years of practice, Heather has logged more than 4,000 pro bono hours, more than 10 times the ABA's recommended 50 hours a year. His pro bono service involves working with such clients as death row inmates, West African citizens suffering political persecution, and other clients in various race and disability discrimination lawsuits. In addition to his frequent pro bono contributions, Heather actively supports a variety of bar activities.

[caption id="attachment_4035" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Heather Fritsch, YLD Secretary, Bob Fink, YLD Vice Chair, Michael Wong, YLD Golf Outing Co-Chair, Kelley Gandurski, YLD Chair and Justin Heather, YLD Golf Outing Co-Chair at the 2009 Golf Outing in Tinley Park."][/caption] The 5th Annual Young Lawyers Division Golf Outing was held Sept. 1 at the Odyssey Golf Club in Tinley Park. The event raised nearly $10,000 for the IBF/YLD Children's Assistance Fund. Eighty-eight golfers and multiple sponsors supported the event, which has raised a total of $65,000 for the fund over the past five years. Click here to view a photo gallery from this event.

The Illinois State Bar Assocation's Young Lawyers Division will host a "Day at the Races" on Sept. 26 to benefit the Children's Assistance Program. This event will take place from noon-6 p.m. at Arlington Park Racecourse, Marquee Tent 3 in the Miller Lite Party Deck in Arlingon Heights. Tickets will be available at 11:30 a.m. at the Grandstand Entrance at the Will Call window. The cost is $60 per person and includes admission, daily racing guide, private party deck, soft drinks, beer, wine and appetizers from 12:30-6 p.m. The deadline is Sept. 15 and space is limited. Contact Meghan O'Brien with questions. Click here to register online.

We invite you to share your hard-won knowledge and maybe win $2,000 in prize money by entering the 51st Annual Lincoln Award Legal Writing Contest. We're looking for useful, practical articles on topics important to practicing lawyers. The highest scores will go to manuscripts that Illinois lawyers can use in their practices, written in a no-nonsense, plain-English style. If you're an ISBA lawyer member under age 36 as of July 1, 2009, or admitted to the bar fewer than five years as of that date, you're eligible to compete for a share of the $3,500 in Lincoln Award prize money and a handsome plaque for your office. And even if you don't win, yours may be among the many Lincoln Award entries to appear in the Illinois Bar Journal. Click here for more details. Click here for contest rules and application. And don't delay -- the deadline for filing a notice to enter the contest is July 15!