Austin Fleming Newsletter Editor Award – Two of our very own

On Friday, June 16, at the Illinois State Bar Association’s 141th Annual Meeting, Lynn Patton and Kathryn (“Kate”) Kelly, co-editors of the ISBA Standing Committee on Government Lawyers, will be the honored recipients of the 2017 Austin Fleming Newsletter Editors Award.

The Austin Fleming Newsletter Editors Award is a prestigious award that honors outstanding editors of the ISBA newsletters. To be considered for the Austin Fleming Newsletter Editors Award, an ISBA member must have served as an editor or co-editor for a minimum of 10 years. In addition, quality of work in writing and editing material for publication, importance of subject matter to the newsletter’s audience and the reputation of the editor in the field covered by the newsletter are all considered.

Both Lynn and Kate have devoted their legal careers to government service, with Lynn currently serving as Division Chief for the Public Access and Opinions Division of and Administrative Counsel for the Illinois Attorney General, and Kate serving as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Civil Division for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Illinois.

Lynn and Kate have both been considerably involved in the ISBA throughout their legal careers. Lynn has served as a co-editor for the Government Lawyers Committee for 16 years, and Kate has served as co-editor for the Government Lawyers Committee for 17 years. In addition, both Lynn and Kate are former Chairs of the Standing Committee on Government Lawyers. Lynn also served as past Chair of the Local Government Law Section Council, and Kate has served as a member of other ISBA sections and committees, such as the Legal Education Standing Committee, Women in the Law Standing Committee, and the Diversity Task Force.

One of Lynn’s and Kate’s most amusing tasks as ISBA members is entertaining an attentive audience in their star performances in “Ethics Extravaganza,” an interactive role-playing CLE program, which is hosted by the Standing Committee on Government Lawyers.

When I first joined the Attorney General’s Office, Lynn was my supervisor and taught me everything I know about government law. As one of the co-editors who will be replacing Lynn and Kate, I am privileged to have these women as mentors.

We congratulate both Lynn and Kate for receiving this well-deserved award! 