Aug. 11, 2025 – Michelle Behnke, former president of the State Bar of Wisconsin (2004-05), will be officially sworn in as president of the American Bar Association (ABA) today at the ABA’s Annual Meeting in Toronto. She will serve a one-year term.
Behnke, of Boardman & Clark LLP in Madison, is only the second Wisconsin bar member to become president in the ABA’s 147-year history (founded in 1878).
State Bar of Wisconsin Executive Director Larry J. Martin issued the following statement about Behnke’s induction. “I have had the honor of knowing and working with Michelle for 14 years, eight as executive director. Michelle will be a strong voice, educating and advocating for the rule of law, an independent judiciary, and access to justice for everyone. There is no better person to lead the American Bar Association than Michelle Behnke. Wisconsin’s legal community is proud to call her one of our own.”