The Women’s Bar Association of Illinois (WBAI) will kick off a new term of office on Thursday, June 7, 2012, during its 98th Annual Installation Dinner at the Chicago Hilton Towers. The dinner serves as one of the largest annual celebrations within the Chicago legal community, with over 700 judges, attorneys, corporate supporters and prominent community leaders attending the event each year.

This year, the WBAI celebrates the installation of its incoming President, Karina Zabicki DeHayes, a partner in the Chicago law firm Tabet DiVito & Rothstein LLC. Incoming President Karina Zabicki DeHayes was named in the Law Bulletin’s “40 Under Forty”—Illinois Attorneys to Watch in 2008 and was named an Illinois “Rising Star” by her peers in SuperLawyers® magazine for three consecutive years beginning in 2009, a distinction reserved for the top 2.5 percent of Illinois lawyers who are under 40 or in practice for 10 years or less. She also serves on the Board of Directors of the Women’s Bar Foundation. At the Dinner, incoming President Karina Zabicki DeHayes will detail the goals for her term and unveil her mission for the upcoming year, “Women and Men Partnering for Excellence.”

Alongside incoming President Karina Zabicki DeHayes, several newly elected and returning Officers and Directors will take the oath of office to serve the WBAI for the 2012–2013 bar year. Illinois Supreme Court Justice Anne M. Burke will administer the oath of office to the incoming President, and Cook County Circuit Court Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans will swear in the Officers and Directors of the WBAI.

The 2012 Annual Installation Dinner features a keynote speech by Retired Colonel Jill Morgenthaler, an award-winning speaker who assists women and men in not only surviving but also thriving as leaders. Colonel Morgenthaler was the first woman in Illinois to lead homeland security as the Governor’s Deputy Chief of Staff for Public Safety and Homeland Security Advisor.

The Hilton Towers is located at 720 S. Michigan Avenue in Chicago. The event begins at 4:00 p.m. with a President’s Reception, followed by a cocktail reception at 5:00 p.m. and a formal dinner beginning at 6:00 p.m. in the Hilton’s Grand Ballroom. The WBAI is currently accepting sponsorships for this special event. Several levels of sponsorship are available, and each sponsorship level is uniquely recognized for its contribution.

Sponsorship pricing is as follows: Diamond Sponsorship $5,000, Platinum Sponsorship $3,500, Gold Sponsorship $2,500, Silver Sponsorship $1,500, and Bronze Sponsorship $1,250. Individual tickets are $110 in advance and $125 when purchased at the door.

Since 1914, the mission of the Women’s Bar Association of Illinois has been to promote and foster, advance and protect the interests and welfare of women lawyers; to encourage a spirit of friendship and mutual helpfulness among its members; to aid in the enactment of legislation for the common good and the administration of justice; and to promote and protect the interests and rights of women.

To receive more information on the WBAI or the Annual Installation Dinner, to become a sponsor of this event, or to purchase individual tickets, please contact the WBAI office at (312) 341-8530 or visit the WBAI website at www.wbaillinois.org.