ABA YLD National Outstanding Young Lawyer Award

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The 2008-2009 nomination process for ABA YLD National Outstanding Young Lawyer Award has ended. The winner and two finalists will be announced by December and they will be recognized during an award presentation at the 2010 ABA Midyear Meeting in Orlando, FL. The 2009-2010 nomination process will open on July 1, 2010.
Award Purpose	The award recognizes an ABA young lawyer in good standing who exhibits: professional excellence; service to the profession and the bar; service to the community; and/or a reputation for or the advancement of legal ethics and professional responsibility.
Eligibility	Nominees must have been an ABA YLD member in good standing during the specific bar year of the award and at the time of their nomination. Members of the ABA YLD National Outstanding Young Lawyer Award Board, current and past ABA YLD Officers, and Constitutional Representatives are not eligible to receive the award.
Submissions	The following organizations/entities may nominate up to one individual for the award: An organization affiliated with the ABA YLD; including national, state, local, and specialty affiliates; A state or local bar association if it does not include a young lawyer section, division, committee or group, and if no stand-alone young lawyer organization exists for its geographic area ⁽¹⁾; The ABA YLD Executive Board; Any ABA section, division, commission, committee, or forum; and The Board of the Fellows of the ABA YLD. We strongly encourage you to include your nominee in the preparation of the nomination submission so as to increase the quality of information included therein.
Guidelines	The nomination must include the following items: A completed ABA YLD National Outstanding Young Lawyer Award nomination form (available July 1, 2010), submitted by an officer of the nominating organization/entity. A nomination letter from the nominating organization/entity explaining the qualifications of the nominee and setting forth the reasons why the nominee should be awarded the ABA YLD National Outstanding Young Lawyer Award. The nominee's biographical resume, including an explanation of the nominee's bar service, employment and professional history, service to the community, and dedication to legal ethics and professional responsibility. Two to four letters of recommendation. Examples include letters from the nominee's clients, individuals familiar with the nominee's service to the community, the nominee's current or former employers, fellow practitioners, individuals familiar with the nominee's service to the bar, or any other individual who can explain why the nominee should be awarded the ABA YLD National Outstanding Young Lawyer Award. Nomination attachments must be received as one document (either PDF or Microsoft Word format). Fax nominations will not be considered.
Selection Criteria	Nominees for the ABA YLD National Outstanding Young Lawyer Award will be selected based upon four factors: Professional excellence; Service to the profession and the bar; Service to the community; and Reputation for or advancement of legal ethics and professional responsibility.
2010 Deadlines	August 31, 2010 - Deadline for nomination packets February 12, 2011 - Winner and two finalists will be presented with a plaque at the 2011 ABA Midyear Meeting in Atlanta, GA
If you have questions regarding the Award or the selection process, please contact Bill Stanton at 312-988-5611. Nominees and their supporters should not contact any other member of the ABA YLD National Outstanding Young Lawyer Award Board. Meet the 2008 Winner and Finalists Meet the 2007 Recipients and Nominees
⁽¹⁾– Some young lawyer organizations are sections, divisions, or committees of the senior bar while other young lawyer organizations are stand-alone organizations. This provision allows a state or local bar association to nominate a young lawyer so long as it does not have a young lawyer section, division, committee, or other young lawyer component, and so long as there is not stand-alone young lawyer organization for its same geographic region. For example, the Dallas Bar Association would not be allowed to nominate an individual for this award because a stand-alone organization, the Dallas Association of Young Lawyers, exists in its geographical area.