By American Bar Association
Barbara J. Howard, principal of the Barbara J. Howard law firm in Cincinnati, Ohio, today assumed the role of president-elect of the American Bar Association. Howard will serve a one-year term in that role before becoming president of the association in August 2026 at the ABA Annual Meeting in Chicago. Michelle Behnke of Madison, Wisconsin will serve as ABA president from August 2025 to August 2026.
“I am excited to move into this new role with the ABA and to working closely with President Michelle Behnke,” Howard said. “There is a lot of work to be done in our country, pressing needs that must be addressed. I am confident that our association has the gravitas to continue to tackle issues such as attacks on the rule of law, the independence of the judiciary, First Amendment rights and those other aspects that are foundational to our democracy.”
Howard has long been active in bar association leadership since her involvement in the ABA Young Lawyers Division, when she also served as chair of the Cincinnati Bar Association Young Lawyers Section. She has been a member of the ABA’s policymaking House of Delegates since 1986 and served as chair of the House from 2020 to 2022. She also served on the ABA Board of Governors, the ABA Journal Board of Editors and the board of the American Bar Foundation.
In the ABA House of Delegates, she served on the Nominating Committee from 2002-2005 and again from 2010-2020, then as Ohio’s State Delegate. Howard has served on the House Committees on Rules and Calendar, Resolution Impact, Technology and Communications, Issues of Concern to the Profession, Select, Credentials and Admissions, Drafting and Steering Committee of the Nominating Committee.
Howard served in 2023 and 2024 as chair of ABA Day in Washington, the association’s annual grassroots lobbying event, and as chair of the ABA standing committees on membership, meetings and travel, specialization, substance abuse, and constitution and bylaws. She has also served most recently as advisory commission member of the ABA’s Task Force for American Democracy and as a member of the ABA Strategic Planning Committee. She has served on the board of the ABA Fund for Justice and Education and as a liaison to the Commission on Women.
Howard is an elected member of the American Law Institute and served on the National Council of Bar Presidents Executive Committee and American Judicature Society Board of Directors. She is a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation.
In addition to her service to the ABA and related organizations, Howard has also served in numerous other capacities in both her profession and her community. She is a former president and board member of the Ohio State Bar Association and of the Cincinnati Bar Association. She is chair of the board of the Ohio Bar Liability Insurance Company, a board on which she has served since 2008. She has been a member of the OSBA Council of Delegates since 1985 and a fellow of the Ohio State Bar Foundation since 1998. She has been a member of the Volunteer Lawyers for the Poor Foundation since 1986, including service as its president from 1991 to 1994. She has served as a board member and president (2011-2013) of the Ohio Lawyers Assistance Program and remains a special advisor.
Howard is also a member of the Board of Trustees of Xavier University where she served as board chair from 2014 to 2019. She chaired Xavier’s Presidential Search Committee from 2019 to 2021. She was a member of the Executive Committee of the Association of Independent Colleges and Universities of Ohio (2003-2008) and a trustee of the board of the Athenaeum of Ohio (2000-2013). She has been a member of the University of Cincinnati College of Law’s Dean’s Advisory Council (previously Board of Visitors) since 1992.
Howard received the Ohio Bar Medal, the OSBA’s highest honor, in 2013. She received the Cincinnati Bar Association’s Themis award (its highest honor) in 2025, having previously received its Trustee’s Award in 2010. She has also received Xavier University’s Distinguished Alumna Award (2010) and its Paul L. O’Connor Leadership Award (2019), along with the University of Cincinnati College of Law’s Nicholas Longworth Award (1999), its Distinguished Alumnus Award (2014) and the St. Ursula Academy (Toledo) 2010 Alumna Achievement Award (2010).
Howard and her associates focus on the practice of family law including custody, parenting matters, complex property matters and support issues. She is a board-certified specialist in family relations law by the Ohio State Bar Association. A significant portion of her practice is in collaborative law, and she is a member of the Cincinnati Academy of Collaborative Professionals.
A native of Toledo, Ohio, Howard graduated magna cum laude from Xavier University with a B.A. in political science. She earned her J.D. from the University of Cincinnati College of Law.
(https://www.americanbar.org/news/abanews/aba-news-archives/2025/08/barbara-howard-becomes-aba-president-elect/)
Barbara J. Howard, principal of the Barbara J. Howard law firm in Cincinnati, Ohio, today assumed the role of president-elect of the American Bar Association. Howard will serve a one-year term in that role before becoming president of the association in August 2026 at the ABA Annual Meeting in Chicago. Michelle Behnke of Madison, Wisconsin will serve as ABA president from August 2025 to August 2026.
“I am excited to move into this new role with the ABA and to working closely with President Michelle Behnke,” Howard said. “There is a lot of work to be done in our country, pressing needs that must be addressed. I am confident that our association has the gravitas to continue to tackle issues such as attacks on the rule of law, the independence of the judiciary, First Amendment rights and those other aspects that are foundational to our democracy.”
Howard has long been active in bar association leadership since her involvement in the ABA Young Lawyers Division, when she also served as chair of the Cincinnati Bar Association Young Lawyers Section. She has been a member of the ABA’s policymaking House of Delegates since 1986 and served as chair of the House from 2020 to 2022. She also served on the ABA Board of Governors, the ABA Journal Board of Editors and the board of the American Bar Foundation.
In the ABA House of Delegates, she served on the Nominating Committee from 2002-2005 and again from 2010-2020, then as Ohio’s State Delegate. Howard has served on the House Committees on Rules and Calendar, Resolution Impact, Technology and Communications, Issues of Concern to the Profession, Select, Credentials and Admissions, Drafting and Steering Committee of the Nominating Committee.
Howard served in 2023 and 2024 as chair of ABA Day in Washington, the association’s annual grassroots lobbying event, and as chair of the ABA standing committees on membership, meetings and travel, specialization, substance abuse, and constitution and bylaws. She has also served most recently as advisory commission member of the ABA’s Task Force for American Democracy and as a member of the ABA Strategic Planning Committee. She has served on the board of the ABA Fund for Justice and Education and as a liaison to the Commission on Women.
Howard is an elected member of the American Law Institute and served on the National Council of Bar Presidents Executive Committee and American Judicature Society Board of Directors. She is a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation.
In addition to her service to the ABA and related organizations, Howard has also served in numerous other capacities in both her profession and her community. She is a former president and board member of the Ohio State Bar Association and of the Cincinnati Bar Association. She is chair of the board of the Ohio Bar Liability Insurance Company, a board on which she has served since 2008. She has been a member of the OSBA Council of Delegates since 1985 and a fellow of the Ohio State Bar Foundation since 1998. She has been a member of the Volunteer Lawyers for the Poor Foundation since 1986, including service as its president from 1991 to 1994. She has served as a board member and president (2011-2013) of the Ohio Lawyers Assistance Program and remains a special advisor.
Howard is also a member of the Board of Trustees of Xavier University where she served as board chair from 2014 to 2019. She chaired Xavier’s Presidential Search Committee from 2019 to 2021. She was a member of the Executive Committee of the Association of Independent Colleges and Universities of Ohio (2003-2008) and a trustee of the board of the Athenaeum of Ohio (2000-2013). She has been a member of the University of Cincinnati College of Law’s Dean’s Advisory Council (previously Board of Visitors) since 1992.
Howard received the Ohio Bar Medal, the OSBA’s highest honor, in 2013. She received the Cincinnati Bar Association’s Themis award (its highest honor) in 2025, having previously received its Trustee’s Award in 2010. She has also received Xavier University’s Distinguished Alumna Award (2010) and its Paul L. O’Connor Leadership Award (2019), along with the University of Cincinnati College of Law’s Nicholas Longworth Award (1999), its Distinguished Alumnus Award (2014) and the St. Ursula Academy (Toledo) 2010 Alumna Achievement Award (2010).
Howard and her associates focus on the practice of family law including custody, parenting matters, complex property matters and support issues. She is a board-certified specialist in family relations law by the Ohio State Bar Association. A significant portion of her practice is in collaborative law, and she is a member of the Cincinnati Academy of Collaborative Professionals.
A native of Toledo, Ohio, Howard graduated magna cum laude from Xavier University with a B.A. in political science. She earned her J.D. from the University of Cincinnati College of Law.
(https://www.americanbar.org/news/abanews/aba-news-archives/2025/08/barbara-howard-becomes-aba-president-elect/)
