Michelle Behnke ’88, the current president of the American Bar Association (ABA), will be the keynote speaker at the 2026 University of Wisconsin Law School Hooding Ceremony.

Michelle Behnke
Michelle Behnke

The ceremony, open to UW Law School students and their family and friends, will take place at 1 p.m. Friday, May 8, at Monona Terrace Community and Convention Center Exhibition Hall, 1 John Nolen Drive, Madison. It will also be livestreamed via Zoom.

At the ceremony — a special recognition for students receiving law degrees — faculty members place the hood over the head of the graduate to signify their success in completing their law degree. The hooding event is in addition to, and does not replace, the university-wide commencement. 

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. 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.         

She also served as Wisconsin's State Delegate in the ABA House of Delegates and has been a member of the House of Delegates since 2008.  

In 2004-05, Behnke served as president of the State Bar of Wisconsin. In addition to bar leadership, Michelle has served as the President of the International Women's Forum-Wisconsin. 

Currently, Behnke serves on the University of Wisconsin Law School Board of Visitors and the University of Wisconsin Foundation and Alumni Association Board. The double Badger earned her bachelor’s degree in economics from UW-Madison in 1983 and her J.D. from UW Law in 1988. 

Behnke has been recognized for her work in the legal profession and her community, receiving the Charles L. Goldberg Distinguished Service Award and the YWCA Women of Distinction Award. She is active in her community and has served on a number of boards, including SSM Healthcare of Wisconsin and Dean Health Plan Inc. 

In addition to the ABA and State Bar, Behnke is a member of the Dane County Bar Association and the Wisconsin Association of African American Lawyers. Her experience in the real estate area was recognized by her election to membership in the American College of Real Estate Lawyers; she has also been elected into The American Law Institute, the American Bar Foundation Fellows and the Wisconsin Bar Foundation Fellows.

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Submitted by Law School News on April 21, 2026

This article appears in the categories: Alumni, Features

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