Nominations are being accepted for ISBA awards. Please submit all nominations before March 4. Additional information is available at www.isba.org/awards or by clicking the link to the individual award. Austin Fleming Newsletter Editors Award This award honors outstanding editors or past editors of Association newsletters. It is based on the concept of meritorious service to the Association and is not necessarily to be given every year. Community Leadership Award Given by the ISBA's Committee on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity (SOGI), the honor recognizes individuals for efforts to foster understanding of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people and their issues of concern. Diversity Leadership Award The Diversity Leadership Award recognizes long standing, continuing and exceptional commitment by an individual or an organization to the critical importance of diversity within the Illinois legal community, its judiciary and within the Illinois State Bar Association.

The Candidate Report for the 2016 ISBA Election is below. All ISBA attorney members with their dues paid by March 1, 2016 are eligible to vote. Ballots will be distributed on Monday, March 28, 2016. It may take several days for mailed ballots to reach members.  Email (e-ballot) distribution will begin the morning of the 28th and should conclude before 4 p.m. The deadline for voting is Friday, April 29th at 4:30 p.m. Central Time for all voting methods: e-ballot, paper or internet. Additional voting information is available below the report. 2016 CANDIDATE REPORT (N.B.: Pursuant to the Policy and Procedures for Election approved by the ISBA Assembly, in those instances where there are more candidates than positions to be filled, nominees are listed on the ballot by the date of filing. Where two or more people filed on the same date, ballot positions were determined by lot. Ballot positions are listed next to the candidate’s name.) Third Vice-President   (1 to be elected; 2 candidates) Stephen M. Komie 2 David B. Sosin 1

Petrovic v. The Department of Employment Security By Alyssa M. Reiter, Williams Montgomery & John Ltd. This case, involving a denial of unemployment insurance benefits based upon employee misconduct, provided an opportunity for the Court to clarify the type of misconduct required and the proof necessary to justify such denial. Petrovic applied for unemployment insurance benefits after she was terminated by American Airlines for misconduct at work. Petrovic had requested that the catering department deliver champagne to a customer and had asked a flight attendant to upgrade that passenger to first class. The Department of Employment Security denied the request for unemployment benefits and the Board of Review affirmed that determination. Following further review, the case proceeded to the Supreme Court. Because the applicable statute required that an employee’s violation be “deliberate and willful,” it necessarily required evidence that the employee was aware that her conduct was prohibited. In this case, there was no evidence in the record of a reasonable American Airlines rule or policy prohibiting Petrovic’s conduct. The employer’s sole witness at the administrative hearing testified only that “policies and procedures were not followed” but did not identify any specific rule or policy. Further, statements contained within the employer’s written protest were not legally competent evidence. The protest was merely a pleading and any facts alleged within the protest had to be substantiated with competent evidence.

Former ISBA Executive Director John H. Dickason, 84, of Coral Gables, FL passed away February 2, 2016. He was born June 3, 1931 in Wooster, OH, a twin son of the late Donald E. and Martha (Hamilton) Dickason. He graduated from Champaign, IL High School and earned a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Business Administration from Dartmouth College. John and his wife Barbara (Bobbie) were married June 20, 1953 in Christ Episcopal Church, Bronxville, NY. He served in the U.S. Army (1954-1956). He was Director of Administrative Services for the Illinois State Bar Association from 1960-1970 and then served as Executive Director until 1985. In 1985 he became the Vice President for Finance and Administration of the Lucille P. Markey Charitable Trust which assisted basic medical researchers.