Suggestion for Submitting a Nomination for the 2008 Award
Nominations for the 2009 ABA YLD Outstanding Young Lawyer Award will be due August 28, 2009 at 5:00 p.m. CDT. Information for submitting nominations will be available on the ABA YLD’s website by July 1, 2009.
A nominating entity should plan ahead so as to gather the most information possible about its nominee. This Award is highly sought after and very competitive. Incomplete or sub-par nomination material will make it unlikely that the organization’s nominee will receive the Award. The OYLA Board encourages nominating entities to include their nominees in the preparation of the material because they will be able to provide the most relevant and useful information.
The nomination must include the following items, which should be submitted in one single email attachment:
- A completed ABA YLD National Outstanding Young Lawyer Award nomination form, signed 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.
Considerable attention should be given to obtaining letters of recommendation and to preparing the nomination letter because great weight is given to these items by the Board. Letters that provide considerable insight to the nominee’s character, skills and qualifications are preferable to letters of recommendation that simply say the candidate is deserving of the award. Specific accomplishments and descriptions of the nominee coming from the personal experience of the author of the letter are very important. Although positions and titles are considered by the Board, detailed information about the nominee—how he or she served the community, won a case, represented a client, or overcame hardships—are more powerful. Potential authors for these letters include a nominee’s clients, individuals familiar with the nominee’s service to the community, the nominee’s current or former employers, fellow practitioners, opposing counsel, and individuals familiar with the nominee’s service to the bar.
In addition, nominating entities should ensure that their nomination material covers all criteria of the Award:
- Professional excellence,
- Service to the bar,
- Service to the community, and
- A reputation for or the advancement of legal ethics and professional responsibility.
Some of these criteria, such as service to the bar and community service, may be apparent from the nominee’s various titles or positions whereas information relating to the nominee’s professional accomplishments and reputations may be less apparent from titles and positions. In addition, the nominee’s history of providing pro bono legal services was an important item to the 2007 OYLA Board members when they considered a person’s service to the community.
As with anything, the more time and effort that is put into preparing the nomination material the more likely it is that the nominee will receive the Award. In most cases the members of the OYLA Board do not know the nominee and can only base their decisions upon the nomination material provided to them.
