Michelle Behnke, the current president of the American Bar Association (ABA), will be the keynote speaker at the 2026 University of Wisconsin Law School Hooding Ceremony on Friday, May 8, at Monona Terrace Community and Convention Center Exhibition Hall.
The ceremony, a special recognition for students receiving law degrees open to UW Law School students and their families and friends, will also be livestreamed via Zoom.
Behnke has been a member of the Boardman Clark law firm in Madison since 2024, primarily practicing in the Business, Real Estate and Estate Planning Practice Groups, according to a press release from the University of Wisconsin-Madison Law School. She is serving as the 2025-26 president of the ABA, the world’s largest voluntary association of lawyers, judges and other legal professionals.
Prior to joining Boardman Clark, Behnke spent 26 years as the principal of Michelle Behnke & Associates.
Behnke’s ABA experience is extensive. Her roles have included treasurer, chair of the Commission on Racial and Ethnic Diversity in the Profession, member of the Board of Governors (including as Chair of its Operations and Communications Committee), chair of the Investments Subcommittee, chair of the Standing Committee on Bar Activities and Services, and member of the Standing Committee on Membership.
