Dinardo wins 2017 Lincoln Award Legal Writing Contest

K. Nykoel Dinardo with Froum Law Group, LLC in Evanston is the first-place winner in the ISBA’s 2017 Lincoln Award Legal Writing Contest. She received a cash award of $2,000 for her article “Accessing Digital Assets after Death or Disability.” Though the first-place article typically appears in the February Illinois Bar Journal, Nykoel's article will not because another article on the digital assets law appeared in the November 2016 IBJ. 

Second place winner is Joshua R. Gross, Springfield, whose article “Discharging Student Loans in Bankruptcy: Yes, it Can Be Done” appears in the February Illinois Bar Journal. Third place goes to Esther Seitz, Springfield, for “Growing Tolerance for Cannabis in Illinois; the Implementation of Public Act 099-0697.” The second place winner gets a $1,000 cash prize, and the third place winner receives $500.

Thirty-one manuscripts were submitted in the 2017 contest. The contest judges were third district appellate court Justice Robert L. Carter, Ottawa; second judicial circuit Judge Christopher L. Weber, Robinson; Jameika Mangum, owner of The Mangum Law Firm, LLC; Jeffrey R. Gottlieb, of the Law Offices of Jeffrey R. Gottlieb, LLC, Palatine; and Brenda Willett, St. Charles, first assistant public defender of Kane County.

The contest is sponsored by the Young Lawyers Division and is open to YLD members. Watch for information in the coming months about next year's competition.