‘Now is not the time to walk back the progress that we have made,’ ABA President Michelle Behnke says
The ability to manage change in tumultuous times while staying true to the core principles of the legal profession is as essential today as it ever has been. In this 250th anniversary year of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, lawyers must rise to the occasion.
These were some of the core themes that ABA President Michelle A. Behnke covered in her address to the association’s policymaking body at the ABA Midyear Meeting in San Antonio.
In her Feb. 9 remarks to the ABA House of Delegates, Behnke said “change is all around us, and managing that change is essential to what we must do as an association.”
She stressed that the only way forward is to adapt. “We can’t spend time looking in the rearview mirror and lamenting about the way things used to be done. We must continue to prepare for the future of our profession and the future generations that we hope to serve.”
Behnke touted the ABA’s new Center for Civic Engagement, Education and the Rule of Law, which is chaired by ABA Past President Deborah Enix-Ross. One project the center is considering is a lawyer discussion series that would help people who want to understand what’s legal and what has precedent in a nonpartisan way. “We want lawyers to model good discussion and debate, and we want all voices to be part of those discussions,” Behnke said.
But in stressing the importance of adapting to change, Behnke also reminded the members that holding true to the ABA’s core mission was paramount.
“We cannot give up on our values, our beliefs and our mission. The American Bar Association will continue to use its position to advocate for the legal profession and the judiciary,” she said. “We will fight for the rule of law both at home and abroad. And we will not abandon our commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion.”
Behnke added that “equity and inclusion are not zero-sum games.” She said the ABA will stay committed to this issue “because now is not the time to walk back the progress that we have made.”
Another theme of the speech focused on the important role lawyers have played in the history of our country: solving problems, mediating differences and negotiating compromise.
“As we begin to celebrate the 250th anniversary of our Declaration of Independence, let’s recommit ourselves to earnest discussions on important issues,” Behnke said. “Let’s recommit ourselves to engage in the discussion, not run from it. If our republic is to persevere for another 250 years, we must look for solutions to the challenges that we face.”
Behnke also presented a Presidential Citation to the law firm Susman Godfrey for its pro bono work in support of the rule of law and the independence of the legal profession on behalf of the American Bar Association. Susman Godfrey is the ABA’s pro bono counsel in a lawsuit the association filed in federal court to prevent the U.S. government from enforcing further unconstitutional law firm executive orders targeting ABA member lawyers. Harry Susman, a partner of the firm, accepted the citation.
Incoming ABA leaders
ABA President-elect Barbara J. Howard from Cincinnati, who will become president after the ABA Annual Meeting in August, gave brief remarks.
She said she would continue the path of recent ABA presidents and focus on the strategic plan. The plan focuses on making sure the ABA remains the home for all lawyers and maintains the ABA as the voice of the legal profession. Howard pointed to the upcoming national elections and the importance of an educated electorate.
“We are at a critical juncture,” she said, noting reports that some young people today express a desire to live under an autocratic government. “We must take the lead in dispelling these notions.”
She said 2026 will be a noteworthy year in history,“not only because of the celebration of our 250th anniversary of our country’s founding, but because of the significant threats we are experiencing to our democracy’s continued viability.”
She encouraged lawyers to actively participate in efforts to educate the public about our democratic form of government.
“Each of us has a responsibility to do our part to protect and defend these constitutional rights,” she said, acknowledging growing concerns about the 2026 election and encouraging lawyers to serve as poll workers or poll watchers.
Laura V. Farber of California, who officially became the ABA president-elect nominee and will become the president-elect in August and then ABA president in August 2027, also spoke.
“The first word that comes to mind is ‘gratitude,’” Farber said. She went on to thank her family and her law firm for their unwavering support throughout her career and touted the importance of being involved in your community. She reflected upon her parents bringing her to the United States from Argentina when she was 2, highlighting the freedoms that the Constitution provided. Farber pledged to work toward protecting those freedoms and the rule of law as ABA president.
The rule of law “is being threatened in ways that I never thought I would see in my lifetime,” Farber said, adding that threats and violence toward judges are unacceptable.
“We need to see the tear in the fabric of our Constitution, and we need to mend it.”
ABA Executive Director Alpha Brady also addressed the House. Jonathan Cole, chair of the House, presided over the meeting.
The House Nominating Committee also officially named Aurora Austriaco of Illinois as chair of the House of Delegates for the 2026-28 term and Elizabeth Kelly Meyers of California as ABA secretary for the 2026-29 term.
Scan here to watch the speeches of ABA leaders at the midyear meeting
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