Illinois Local Government Lawyers Association Writing Competitions
The philosophy of the Illinois Local Government Lawyers Association is to coordinate and promote professional education, information exchange and interaction among local government attorneys in Illinois in order to ensure the highest level of professional representation to units of local government.
In keeping with the philosophy of the Illinois Local Government Lawyers Association, in late 2016, the ILGL Board approved a proposal for a writing competition centering on topics focused on local government law.
2026 Franklin W. Klein Law Student Writing Competition Award Winner(s):
First place went to Giulnara Khatuaeva, University of Illinois College of Law, for the article: “Crossing the Rubicon: When Federal Immigration Requests Trigger Municipal Liability"
Giulnara Khatuaeva receives First Place for the Franklin W. Klein Law Student Writing Contest on February 16, 2026.
| Year | Award Recipient | Title of Article |
| 2025 | First Place: Kayla Beckley, University of Illinois College of Law (Class of 2026) |
What Every Municipal Attorney Needs to Know about Public Comment Restrictions in 2025 |
| 2025 | Second Place: Michael Warren, Chicago-Kent School of Law (Class of 2027) | |
| 2024 | First Place: Michael Lathwell, University of Illinois College of Law (Class of 2025) |
A Better Way to Watch: Streaming Giants Bypass Local Municipal Cable Franchise Fees |
| 2024 | Second Place: Bobby Mannis and Morgan Knight, University of Illinois College of Law (Class of 2025) |
Existential Blue: Police and Municipal Duty, Liability, and Recommendations for Suicide Prevention |
| 2022 | Kelby Roth and Andrew White, Chicago-Kent College of Law (Class of 2022) | |
| 2021 | Monica Pechous, Chicago-Kent College of Law (Class of 2020) | |
| 2020 | Monica Pechous, Chicago-Kent College of Law (Class of 2020) | Do Illinois Municipalities Have Their Heads in the "Cloud"?: Home Rule as Applied to Online Platforms |
| 2019 | Emily Brown, University of Illinois College of Law (Class of 2020) | |
| 2018 | First Place: Raquel Lee, John Marshall Law School (Class of 2018) |
Public Safety Employee Benefits Act Interpreted by the Supreme Court of Illinois |
| 2018 | Second Place: Amanda Mank, University of Illinois College of Law (Class of 2018) |
Pre-employment Screening, Negligent Hiring, and Policy Concerns for Illinois Municipalities |
Franklin W. Klein Law Student Writing Competition
The Illinois Local Government Lawyers Association, Franklin W. Klein Law Student Writing Competition honors the memory of a founding member of Klein, Thorpe & Jenkins, Ltd., one of the oldest and most respected local government law firms in the State of Illinois and the sponsor of the writing competition. Franklin W. Klein graduated from the University of Chicago Law School in 1932 and founded the firm in 1935. He retired from a distinguished legal career in 1996.
Franklin Klein Writing Competition Rules for Law Students
Writing Competition Licensing Agreement
Member Writing Competition
| Year | Award Recipient | Title of Article |
| 2025 | Christian Ketter, Peterson, Johnson, and Murray, LLC | Draining the Law: The Erosion of Drainage Districts Through a Winding Slough |
| 2022 | Monica Pechous, Tucker Ellis LLP |
Cyber Cities: The Role of Illinois Municipalities in Preventing |
| 2021 | Christian Ketter, Hervas, Condon & Bersani, P.C. | |
| 2018 |
Kavita Athanikar, City of Naperville |
Crisis Intervention Team Training: A Valuable Tool for Municipal Risk Management |
Most practitioners are familiar with the ISBA Lincoln writing contest in which annual awards are given for general legal topics for members of the young lawyers division. The ILGL writing competitions will be unique in two respects:
| 1. The competition focuses on local government law. |
| 2. The competition is open to both members and law students. Awards will be handed out in each category. |
Writing Competition Rules for Members
Writing Competition Licensing Agreement
The particulars of the competitions are as follows:
AWARDS (TWO CATEGORIES)
1. Member
2. Law student
There are three (3) awards in each category, i.e. 1st, 2nd, 3rd place awards.
PRIZES
First Place - $500
Second Place - $250
Third Place - $100
*Includes a plaque and the gratitude of local government practitioners.
WRITING PARTICULARS
- Articles should be 2,500-3,500 words in length
- Articles are to be submitted electronically in .doc format through the Executive Director
- Articles may be jointly written
- Articles will be considered for publication in the ILGL Journal
JUDGING CRITERIA
- Quality of analysis
- Relevance of topic to the local government practitioner
- Clarity and conciseness
TIMING
- Submissions must be received prior to midnight on December 31st.
- Awards are given at ILGL's Annual Conference in February.