Justice Frank G. Evans Award Selection Criteria

Policies and Procedures for Selection of Recipients

• The Evans Award is created and dedicated as a living tribute to Justice Frank G. Evans who is considered the founder of the alternative dispute resolution movement in Texas.
• The award is awarded annually to persons who have performed exceptional and outstanding efforts in promoting or furthering the use or research of alternative dispute resolution methods in Texas. The recipients should be persons who are recognized leaders in the field of ADR. Although the award is presented by the ADR Section of the State Bar of Texas, the recipients do not have to be either a member of the State Bar, a member of the ADR Section, a lawyer, or a practicing third-party neutral.
• Up to two awards may be awarded annually.
• Each nomination submitted will be considered for two consecutive years but persons are encouraged to re-submit nominations yearly.
• Anyone may submit nominations provided the nominations are timely submitted on forms provided by the Awards Committee. The person making the nomination does not have to be a lawyer, a member of the ADR Section, or a third-party neutral.
• Nominations must be received by March 1 of each year.
• Nomination forms may be obtained from any member of the ADR Section Directors Council or from the ADR Section Liaison at the State Bar of Texas.
• The nomination form will also be published at least once a year annually in the news bulletin of the ADR Section, preferably in the Fall edition. In addition, other non-State Bar ADR associations will be encouraged to publish or distribute the nomination form annually to their memberships.
• Selection of the recipients will be made by an Awards Committee of the ADR Section with approval of the Council. Awards Committee voting membership will be comprised of five members of the Council. The Chair and the voting members of the Awards Committee will be appointed by the Chair of the ADR Section. The Chair of the Section will not serve as the Chair of the Awards Committee. If an Awards Committee member is nominated, consideration of that nomination shall be delayed to the first subsequent year when the nominee is no longer a member of the Awards Committee.
• Persons who are members of the council as of March 1 are ineligible for consideration for the Evans Award for that calendar year. Ex-officio members are eligible.
• Although duration of involvement is not a requirement for selection of a recipient, special consideration will be given to nominees who have devoted themselves to alternative dispute resolution over an extended period of time.
• Presentation of the Award will be made at an appropriate ceremony at the annual State Bar Convention with a report of the presentation submitted for subsequent publication in the State Journal and the ADR Section bulletin.