Illinois Local Government Lawyers Association Writing Competitions:  Members and Franklin W. Klein Law Student

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.

2025 Franklin W. Klein Law Student Writing Competition Award Winner(s):

First place went to Kayla Beckley, University of Illinois College of Law, for the article: “What Every Municipal Attorney Needs to Know About Public Comment Restrictions in 2025"

Second place went to Michael Warren, Chicago-Kent College of Law, for the article: “Debating Geopolitics at Local Government Meetings: Reviewing Rights and Restrictions to Public Comment Following the 2024 Election"

2025 Franklin W. Klein Member Writing Competition Award Winner:

First place went to Christian Ketter, Attorney, Peterson, Johnson & Murray, LLC, for the article: "Draining the Law: The Erosion of Drainage Districts Through a Winding Slough"

Member Writing Competition

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:

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.

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. 1^st, 2^nd, 3^rd 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

1. Quality of analysis
2. Relevance of topic to the local government practitioner
3. Clarity and conciseness

TIMING

• Submissions must be received prior to midnight on December 31st.
• Awards are given at ILGL's Annual Conference in February.

Writing Competition Licensing Agreement

Writing Competition Rules for Members

Franklin Klein Writing Competition Rules for Law Students