TBA Law Blog


Posted by: Julia Wilburn on Feb 8, 2024

Jonathan Cole, a shareholder in the Nashville office of Baker Donelson, has been nominated by the American Bar Association (ABA) House of Delegates as chair-elect of the 597-member policymaking body for a two-year term that begins after the Annual Meeting this August. This position is the second ranking officer in the ABA and serves as its Chief Policy Officer. Cole has served as chair of the ABA Standing Committee on Bar Activities and Services and the ABA Young Lawyers Division, and he is past president of the National Conference of Bar Presidents and the Nashville Bar Association. The HOD 69-member nominating committee endorsed Cole over William D. Johnston of Delaware in a contested election on Feb. 5. during the ABA Midyear Meeting in Louisville, Kentucky.

Left to right: Jonathan Cole; George T. "Buck" Lewis, former TBA president; Linda Klein, former ABA president.

In addition, Michelle Behnke of Madison, Wisconsin, was named by the ABA Nominating Committee to serve as president of the ABA in 2025-2026, the organization said in a press release. The ABA House of Delegates will formally vote on her nomination in August. If elected, Behnke will serve a one-year term as ABA president-elect before taking office as president of the association in August 2025 at the ABA Annual Meeting in Toronto. Bill Bay from St. Louis will take office as the group's 2024-2025 president at this year's Annual Meeting.