ISBA YLD council member Justin Heather to receive National Outstanding Young Lawyer Award

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. Heather serves as a council member of the Illinois State Bar Association Young Lawyers Division. He has received numerous awards for his contributions to the legal profession, including the 2008 Young Lawyer Award from the ISBA, and the Maurice Weigle Exceptional Young Lawyer Award from the CBA and the CBF. A graduate of Dartmouth College, Heather earned his Juris Doctor cum laude from Northwestern University School of Law. Heather is admitted to practice in Illinois, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit and the U.S. Supreme Court.