The American Bar Association House of Delegates Nominating Committee held a Candidates Forum on Aug. 4 at its Annual Meeting in Chicago for the two candidates who are running unopposed for office.
Former HOD Chair Barbara Howard, who heads a family law and estate planning firm in Cincinnati, Ohio, explained why she wants to be president-elect nominee for the association next year. She would be president-elect for the 2025-26 term.
Howard said she has been working on the ABA’s Strategic Planning Committee as well as the standing Committee on Membership and the Advisory Committee of the ABA Task Force for American Task Democracy. She stressed the need to make the ABA a home to all lawyers, to maintain and enhance the ABA as a voice of the legal profession and to advance and maintain the health of the ABA.
“We can and will do a better job of guiding people to a home in the ABA,” Howard said.
In response to questions from the Steering Committee of the Nominating Committee, Howard said that it may be time to examine the role of the Board of Governors and discussed enhancing the ABA website to make it a better external communication site instead of an internal one.
When asked if the ABA president should speak out about public policy, Howard pointed to the need for existing ABA policy if a president were to offer a statement. She mentioned that speaking out about the need to save democracy or the fundamental principles of the legal profession would be appropriate, adding that “ABA policy should always be the guidepost.”
Andrew Schpak, who is running unopposed for treasurer-elect, is co-managing partner at Barran Liebman LLP in Portland, Oregon. He outlined his ABA experience and explained how it may give him a better understanding of the association. He said he is optimistic about the ABA’s future “because of what we can do that others cannot.” Schpak pointed out that the ABA is the voice for ethics in the profession and the association’s work on Goal III — diversity, equity and inclusion in the profession.
“Don’t underestimate the number of people who are passionate about the ABA’s work on Goal III,” he said.
He also highlighted the ABA’s power to bring people together, forge relationships and recruit high-profile speakers, and mentioned the idea of ABA sections sharing resources.
Schpak talked about non-dues revenue and how finding new streams remains critical. He stressed the importance of the association’s success with grant revenue. “It shows that the ABA is viewed as a leader and reputable group around the world,” he said.
But Schpak conceded there will be no windfall for the ABA in the near future. “There’s not a home run to save our association,” he said, “but there are a lot of singles and doubles.”
The HOD Nominating Committee will consider both candidacies in February at the 2025 Midyear Meeting in Phoenix.