Serbian Bar Association
of America

Thank you to all who attended and helped support the SBAA’s 25th Scholarship Gala, and congratulations to our scholarship recipients Alexa Lacevic, Ilijana Todorovic, Kristina Todorovic, Nikola Simic, Nesko Radovic, and Iva Velickovic, as well as Merit Award recipient James Moody and Czar Dušan Award recipient Adrian Vuckovich.

Thank you also to our sponsors for their support of our scholarship program, especially our Vanguard sponsors DMS Pharmaceutical, Inc., Just Thrive Probiotic & Antioxidant, and Dr. Zivojin Pavlovic, and our partner sponsors the Law Offices of Nicholas Loncar, Peter Radjenovich of First Centennial Mortgage, Ryann Whalen of Wiliams & Baerson, and Muzyka & Son Funeral Home.

We are very grateful for your support.

The SBAA is excited to announce its Twenty-Fifth Scholarship Gala will be held Saturday, June 3 at 111 E. Pearson in Chicago.   In addition to recognizing our outstanding scholarship recipients, this year’s Gala will honor former U.S. Representative James Moody with the Major Richard L. Felman Merit Award and Adrian Vuckovich with the Czar Dušan Award.

This is an excellent opportunity to join with other members and friends of the association to support the SBAA Scholarship Foundation, which has provided financial assistance to Serbian-American law students across the country for a quarter-century.  We hope you will consider joining us for what promises to be a memorable evening as we mark the twenty-fifth year of this great event.

Register for the Gala here by May 19 to take advantage of early registration pricing.  Out of town guests should contact us at sbaa@serbbar.org for information regarding hotel arrangements.

Please join us April 6 for the Chicago Bar Association’s Vanguard Awards ceremony honoring Adrian Vuckovich, recipient of the CBA’s Vanguard Award and the SBAA’s Czar Dušan Award.  The ceremony will take place at the Standard Club, beginning with a reception at 11:30 A.M. and lunch at noon.  Tickets may be purchased here.  The SBAA is proud to co-host this great event with the CBA and several local bar associations, and help recognize the outstanding lawyers, judges, and institutions being honored.  We hope to see you there.

The SBAA was honored to welcome Serbian National Assembly members Miroslav Aleksic, Ana Stevanovic, Jahja Febratovic, and Snezana Paunovic, along with Senior Political Specialist for the U.S. Embassy in Belgrade Denis Ibisbegovic, on their visit to the U.S. earlier this month.  The delegation met with members of the SBAA Board during their stop in Chicago, which also included visits with the U.S. Attorney, Deputy Mayor Andrea Zopp, Cook County Commissioner John Daley, Alderman John Arena, and other members of local and state government.

The delegation visited as part of Congress’ Open World Program, which aims to help leaders from across the world learn more about American government by connecting them with their counterparts in the United States.  The delegation’s visit to Chicago was coordinated by The Council of International Programs in Chicago (CIP), which recruits and places highly-qualified professionals for work-based training at businesses and nonprofits and offers a variety of opportunities to volunteer and travel overseas though its sister program Discovery Journey.

“We were grateful for the opportunity to meet with the members of the National Assembly and Mr. Ibisbegovic.  We had an excellent conversation and enjoyed sharing perspectives on a number of issues,” said SBAA President Marko Duric.  “We extend our thanks to Open World and CIP for organizing this visit, and look forward to continuing to maintain the strong ties between Serbia and the diaspora in the United States.”

The SBAA is pleased to announce two outstanding events this September.  During Welcome Night on September 29, the SBAA will host a reception in honor of HRH Crown Prince Alexander and HRH Crown Princess Katherine of Serbia.  All are encouraged to attend and meet the Royal Family.  Welcome Night will be held at 6 PM at Gallery at Green River, 259 E. Erie, 18th Floor, Chicago (galleryatgreenriver.com).  The registration deadline is September 23.

On September 16, the SBAA will celebrate our annual Slava honoring our patron Saint Joanikije, the First Serbian Patriarch and Lawgiver.  Slava will be held at 6 PM at Beograd, 2933-39 W. Irving Park Rd., Chicago (beogradchicago.com).

We hope you will take advantage of the opportunity to meet Crown Prince Alexander and Crown Princess Katherine and get together with other SBAA members and friends at these two great events.

The SBAA was saddened to learn that Merit Award recipient Helen Delich Bentley passed away earlier this month.  After becoming a popular reporter and television personality in Baltimore, Helen was offered an appointment to the Federal Maritime Commission in 1969.  Helen memorably refused the appointment until President Nixon made her Chair of the Commission, which she headed from 1969 to 1975. In 1984, Helen was elected to represent Maryland’s Second Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives, and served in Congress until 1995.  As a result of Helen’s tireless advocacy on behalf of the Port of Baltimore, the historic port was renamed in her honor in 2006.  Helen is remembered as a trailblazer in journalism and government.  May her memory be eternal.

2016 SBAA Annual Meeting

Wednesday, July 27, 2016

University Club of Chicago

76 East Monroe Street, Chicago, IL 60603

Meeting:  4:30 PM Northwestern Room

Reception:  5:30 PM Monroe Room

RSVP to sbaa@serbbar.org

The SBAA is saddened by the recent passing of George V. Voinovich. George was universally esteemed for his remarkable career in public service, including as a United States Senator, Governor of Ohio, and Mayor of Cleveland. He is widely credited with the fiscal and economic revitalization of Cleveland during his time as Mayor, and earned a reputation for principled, nonpartisan leadership as Governor and Senator.  For his outstanding achievements as a Serbian-American lawyer and public servant, the SBAA was honored to present George with the Czar Dusan Award. Our thoughts and prayers are with George’s family.  May his memory be eternal.

The SBAA Scholarship Gala will be held Saturday, May 7.

Please join us as we honor Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich with the Czar Dusan Award, and present the Major Richard L. Felman Merit Award to former Consul General Desko Nikitovic.

The Gala will also recognize this year’s outstanding scholarship recipients:

Vania Aksentijevich, Boston College Law School

Branka Cimesa, Cornell Law School

Milena Crevar, The John Marshall Law School

Natasa Glisic, Barry University School of Law

Bogdan Jocic, Ave Maria School of Law

Petar Radujkovich, Emory University School of Law

Andrija Stanojcic, South Texas College of Law

The reception and silent auction begin at 6:30, and will be followed by dinner, awards, and dancing.

We hope you can join us for this exceptional event supporting our scholarship program.