By Annie Hagstrom
Michigan Law
Michigan Law alum William R. Bay recently became president of the American Bar Association for the 2024–2025 term after more than 20 years in various leadership roles. Bay is the third Michigan Law graduate among the five most recent ABA presidents, joining Patricia Lee Refo (2020–2021 term) and Reginald M. Turner Jr. (2021–22 term).
Mary Smith, the immediate past president, passed the gavel to Bay at the end of the ABA Annual Meeting in Chicago in August.
It’s a time of great change in the legal profession. But when it comes to his leadership, legal practice, and life, Bay approaches each day with one overarching perspective: Change is the only certainty, and having a solid foundation might be the key to navigating it.
—————
The difference a support system makes
Bay credits his adaptability – to changes in life, career, and perspective – to his time at Michigan Law.
His student experience began in one corner of the Lawyers Club, and the following three years were specially shaped by the relationships he formed there.
In his first year, Bay received advice from the late Professor Allan F. Smith that changed the course of his academic and professional careers.
“I was called into his office – along with the other students who weren’t doing very well,” he recalled.
“After reviewing what I was doing to prepare for class each day, he surprised me with his advice: Study less and focus on the big picture. From that conversation, I realized law school didn’t have to be as complicated as I had been making it. I eventually became a better lawyer because of that lesson.”
As closely as Bay has kept Professor Smith’s guidance, he has similarly kept his law school classmates and friends. In the years since their graduation, they have experienced marriages, the birth of children, moves, illnesses, and losses.
And through it all, an unwavering support system remained.
“They all attended my wedding in rural Missouri and then my wife’s funeral 45 years later,” he reflected. “We’ve stuck together.”
Since the death of Bay’s wife last November, he has especially leaned on his network in this new chapter as ABA president. He also considered what he might tell current law students navigating their futures.
“Try not to be so focused on the rest of your life right now,” he said. “Don’t make it overly cosmic; the only thing you need to prepare yourself for is knowing how to adapt to change.”
—————
A new level of leadership
Bay is a partner at the St. Louis office of Thompson Coburn LLP, a firm he has been with for more than 30 years. Early in his career, he was inspired by his father, who emphasized the importance of being involved with professional organizations.
“I became active in my local young lawyers group and participated in a public service conference,” he recalled. “It was eye-opening; much of what I learned there shaped how I have approached my work with the ABA.”
Bay has demonstrated exceptional leadership throughout his tenure with the ABA. Notably, he chaired the Section of Litigation, the House of Delegates, and the ABA Day Planning and Board of Governors Finance Committees. Bay also served as a fellow in the American Bar Foundation, co-chaired the Practice Forward initiative, led the Standing Committee on Bar Activities and Services, and participated in diversity and governance commissions, among other roles.
The central focus of his presidency is to ensure the ABA is a foundation for all lawyers, much like the foundation he has in his Michigan Law community and his family.
The premise behind the ABA acting as a foundation – or, as Bay called it in his inauguration speech, the “home” for the profession – is that the association will serve as both a landing pad and a springboard for legal practitioners and their aspirations.
“I don’t know what new challenges we will face tomorrow, but I know our mission, who we are, and what we are capable of,” said Bay. “Being the home for every lawyer is vital; we want to welcome everyone and offer them the opportunity to be a part of something bigger than themselves.”
Michigan Law
Michigan Law alum William R. Bay recently became president of the American Bar Association for the 2024–2025 term after more than 20 years in various leadership roles. Bay is the third Michigan Law graduate among the five most recent ABA presidents, joining Patricia Lee Refo (2020–2021 term) and Reginald M. Turner Jr. (2021–22 term).
Mary Smith, the immediate past president, passed the gavel to Bay at the end of the ABA Annual Meeting in Chicago in August.
It’s a time of great change in the legal profession. But when it comes to his leadership, legal practice, and life, Bay approaches each day with one overarching perspective: Change is the only certainty, and having a solid foundation might be the key to navigating it.
—————
The difference a support system makes
Bay credits his adaptability – to changes in life, career, and perspective – to his time at Michigan Law.
His student experience began in one corner of the Lawyers Club, and the following three years were specially shaped by the relationships he formed there.
In his first year, Bay received advice from the late Professor Allan F. Smith that changed the course of his academic and professional careers.
“I was called into his office – along with the other students who weren’t doing very well,” he recalled.
“After reviewing what I was doing to prepare for class each day, he surprised me with his advice: Study less and focus on the big picture. From that conversation, I realized law school didn’t have to be as complicated as I had been making it. I eventually became a better lawyer because of that lesson.”
As closely as Bay has kept Professor Smith’s guidance, he has similarly kept his law school classmates and friends. In the years since their graduation, they have experienced marriages, the birth of children, moves, illnesses, and losses.
And through it all, an unwavering support system remained.
“They all attended my wedding in rural Missouri and then my wife’s funeral 45 years later,” he reflected. “We’ve stuck together.”
Since the death of Bay’s wife last November, he has especially leaned on his network in this new chapter as ABA president. He also considered what he might tell current law students navigating their futures.
“Try not to be so focused on the rest of your life right now,” he said. “Don’t make it overly cosmic; the only thing you need to prepare yourself for is knowing how to adapt to change.”
—————
A new level of leadership
Bay is a partner at the St. Louis office of Thompson Coburn LLP, a firm he has been with for more than 30 years. Early in his career, he was inspired by his father, who emphasized the importance of being involved with professional organizations.
“I became active in my local young lawyers group and participated in a public service conference,” he recalled. “It was eye-opening; much of what I learned there shaped how I have approached my work with the ABA.”
Bay has demonstrated exceptional leadership throughout his tenure with the ABA. Notably, he chaired the Section of Litigation, the House of Delegates, and the ABA Day Planning and Board of Governors Finance Committees. Bay also served as a fellow in the American Bar Foundation, co-chaired the Practice Forward initiative, led the Standing Committee on Bar Activities and Services, and participated in diversity and governance commissions, among other roles.
The central focus of his presidency is to ensure the ABA is a foundation for all lawyers, much like the foundation he has in his Michigan Law community and his family.
The premise behind the ABA acting as a foundation – or, as Bay called it in his inauguration speech, the “home” for the profession – is that the association will serve as both a landing pad and a springboard for legal practitioners and their aspirations.
“I don’t know what new challenges we will face tomorrow, but I know our mission, who we are, and what we are capable of,” said Bay. “Being the home for every lawyer is vital; we want to welcome everyone and offer them the opportunity to be a part of something bigger than themselves.”
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