On Tuesday evening, the College of Law hosted political commentator and essayist George Will for the 2nd lecture in the New Lincoln Lectures series. He drew quite a crowd for the event at Foellinger Auditorium, including 2nd year law student Gregory Dickinson. Dickinson (’17) submitted the winning essay for The Lincoln Legacy Essay Competition, which was hosted in conjunction with Mr. Will’s lecture as part of the New Lincoln Lectures series. In addition to a $5,000 prize, Dickinson was also granted a personal meeting with Mr. Will.
He said, “I was very excited to meet Mr. Will, and although he's obviously most notable for his work as a political commentator, as a fellow lifelong Cubs fan I was looking forward to hearing his thoughts on their upcoming season.”
Dickinson is currently a teaching assistant in the writing program at the College of Law. He is also the 2016-2017 Managing Notes & Comments Editor for the Illinois Law Review, and he is a Peer Advisor to the Class of 2018.
Dickinson is not yet sure about the type of law he hopes to practice, but says he is most interested in litigation. He will be employed at Schiff Hardin this summer, where he will have the opportunity to work with a few different practice groups to find the right fit.
For this essay competition, students were asked to consider the legacy and continued relevance of Abraham Lincoln, arguably America’s greatest lawyer, as it specifically relates to the following topic:
In his July 1, 1854 Fragment on Government, Lincoln said that “[t]he legitimate object of government, is to do for a community of people, whatever they need to have done, but can not do, at all, or can not, so well do, for themselves — in their separate, and individual capacities.” To what extent do you believe that current law fulfills or fails to fulfill that role? In what ways do you draw on Lincoln’s vision of government to shape your professional understanding of how to contribute best to society through the law?How has this vision influenced your decision to become a lawyer, your study of law, and your future legal career?
Read Gregory’s winning essay: “The Elevation of Men: Lincoln’s Legacy on Government and the Law”
The New Lincoln Lectures: What Abraham Lincoln Means to the 21st Century – is a series of several lectures to be held in 2016 and 2017 in Urbana-Champaign, Chicago, and/or Springfield. The series was founded in commemoration of the sesquicentennial anniversary of President Lincoln’s death and then, two years later, of the founding of the University of Illinois. The lectures will feature luminaries in various fields related to law, government, and history, who will reflect on Lincoln’s legacy and its continuing relevance – both in their individual lives and the life of the nation – 150 years after his passing.