ABA nominating committee hosts candidates’ forum for potential officers
The American Bar Association House of Delegates Nominating Committee held a Candidates Forum Sunday at its Annual Meeting in Toronto for the four lawyers who announced their intention to seek nomination for candidacies to serve as an officer of the association with terms beginning in August 2026.
Laura Farber from California, who has served in numerous ABA leadership positions since 1994 including as a member of both the Board of Directors and House of Delegates, is running unopposed for president-elect for the 2026-27 term. Aurora Austriaco of Illinois is running unopposed for chair of the House of Delegates for the 2026-28 term. Victor Marquez and Elizabeth Kelly Meyers, both from California, are facing off to run for ABA secretary for the 2026-29 term.
The candidates gave brief remarks then answered questions from the Nominating Committee and the audience. The candidates had participated in a forum at the Midyear Meeting in Phoenix last February where they spoke about their backgrounds and families.
Follow along with the ABA Journal’s coverage of the 2025 ABA Annual Meeting here.
Farber, who recently served as co-chair of the Coordinating Group on Practice Forward, started her remarks with a story about attending a protest recently in Pasadena, California, with her daughter. She was moved by the people expressing their First Amendment rights and freedoms. She also recounted her experience at ABA Day this year, roaming the halls of congressional offices and being stunned after seeing a representative’s office with a poster with the faces and locations of judges labeled as activists with the word “Wanted” on it.
“We are in a crisis,” she said. “The rule of law is under attack. Judges are under attack. The Bill of Rights is under attack.”
Farber, a partner at Hahn & Hahn in Pasadena, thanked current ABA leadership for filing a lawsuit against the Trump administration for intimidation of lawyers and stressed the importance of being a leader and coming together to fight for the rule of law. “This is not a choice,” Farber said. “We need to fight. This is not optional. This is a must.”
Austriaco served eight years as Illinois State Delegate to the House of Delegates before her appointment to the Board of Governors. She also served as chair of the Finance Committee of the board and the ABA’s Executive Committee. In addition, she has held many other legal positions including president of the National Conference of Bar Presidents and president of the Chicago Bar Association.
In her remarks, Austriaco talked about the importance of bar associations and what they bring to the profession. She discussed her work in the House of Delegates and how she understands how the House operates. She said that the House and the policies they decide on will be important, regardless of the issues the ABA is having with the current government.
“The work we do in the House will matter to the profession going forward, no matter what the world looks like,” she said.
Austriaco stressed the need for more participation in the House by young lawyers and all members. She talked about collaboration with other bars and making the House a place where all lawyers and differing viewpoints can come together.
The two candidates for ABA secretary talked about improving the role of the position in the ABA.
Marquez described his goals of increasing membership through working with affinity bars. He said the ABA needed better communications and promised to work with former ABA secretaries to develop best practices for the secretary’s role. He hoped to have more responsibility for the position, looking to be part of the strategic planning for the association’s future. Marquez was enthusiastic about the future and the need to stay committed to diversity, equity and inclusion. “I speak with passion and compassion,” he said.
Meyers discussed how the ABA has provided her with avenues to grow both personally and professionally. She mentioned the importance of listening to members and their concerns. She talked about what success in her role as secretary would look like and said it was not about her three-year term. “I want to be a catalyst for a thriving ABA in 10 years, 15 years, 20 years,” she said.
The HOD Nominating Committee will consider all the candidacies in February at the Midyear Meeting 2026 in San Antonio, Texas.
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