A commemorative ISBA lecture series, titled “Lincoln the Prairie Lawyer,” will begin with a panel discussion at 10 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 18, at the 5th District Appellate Courthouse in Mt. Vernon.

The inaugural program is being presented in conjunction with the 150th anniversary of the courthouse and installation of a statue of Abraham Lincoln (see related story on page 3).

Former Illinois governor Jim Edgar will act as moderator for the discussion, which is based on the work of the Papers of Abraham Lincoln, a Springfield-based project.

Speakers are Daniel W. Stowell, director and editor; John Lupton, associate director, and Stacy McDermott, assistant director.

The second presentation in the ISBA lecture series will take place Friday, Dec. 12, during a joint luncheon with the Illinois Judges Association in the Sheraton Chicago Hotel.

The speaker will be Mark Steiner of the South Texas College of Law, author of “An Honest Calling: The Law Practice of Abraham Lincoln.”

His speech will be preceded by a program on the 150th anniversary of the Senate campaign debates between Lincoln and Stephen A. Douglas.

Lectures being scheduled for 2009 include a March presentation, tentatively in Ottawa, and a July program during the National Conference of Bar Presidents meeting in Chicago.