PrintMaurice Weigle Exceptional Young Lawyer Award
The Maurice Weigle Exceptional Young Lawyer Award celebrates the initiative and exceptional contributions of young lawyers to the profession, the organized bar and the community. The award reflects the commitment and beliefs of an extraordinary father and son, Maurice W. Weigle (1877-1967) and Maurice S. Weigle (1912-1989), who each exhibited a lifelong devotion to the law and the community.
Both men were highly respected Chicago attorneys and esteemed members of The Chicago Bar Association. They felt passionately about furthering education, youth empowerment and the legal community of Chicago. In memory of their spirit and dedication to these issues, their families generously endowed this prestigious award in 1968, allowing the recipient to designate a special grant to the legal aid or public interest law organization of his or her choice.
Both men were highly respected Chicago attorneys and esteemed members of The Chicago Bar Association. They felt passionately about furthering education, youth empowerment and the legal community of Chicago. In memory of their spirit and dedication to these issues, their families generously endowed this prestigious award in 1968, allowing the recipient to designate a special grant to the legal aid or public interest law organization of his or her choice.
2007 Recipient
Justin Lee Heather
As a senior associate at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP, Justin Heather strongly believes that, as a member of the legal profession, he has an obligation to give back to the community. Despite the demanding schedule of an associate in a large firm, Justin devotes substantial time to pro bono cases and writing scholarly and law practice articles. Since he began practicing law five and half years ago, he has logged nearly 3,000 pro bono hours. Just a few of the pro bono clients he has represented include: a death row inmate in state and federal proceedings; a Togolese citizen who suffered political persecution for his pro-democracy activities and membership in human rights groups; a death row inmate in federal habeas corpus proceedings; and clients in race and disability discrimination suits.
In addition to his pro bono work, Justin is actively involved in a number of bar and volunteer activities. He is an officer of the CBA’s Young Lawyers’ Section (YLS), Co-Editor-in-Chief of the YLS Journal and serves on the board of the CBA Record. Justin has published a number of legal articles, including both practice-related pieces and those directed at more substantive areas of law, that have appeared in the CBA Record, the Illinois Bar Journal, and the Journal of Law & Politics. Justin also serves as a mentor to law students and an informal mentor and confidant for junior lawyers at Skadden, both in their legal practice and in establishing a solid work/life balance.
Justin’s accomplishments within his firm, his exceptional commitment to pro bono service and his outstanding contributions to the profession, the organized bar and the Chicago community make him a role model for all lawyers.