ABA Announces Nominations
The nominating Committee of the ABA House of Delegates in February announced its candidates for president-elect, chair of the House and 12 seats on the Board of Governors.
The House of Delegates will vote on the nominees in August when it convenes at the 2006 ABA Annual Meeting in Honolulu. The Nominating Committee’s selections are virtually assured of being elected by the House.
Under a technical quirk in the ABA Constitution, presidential selections are never actually elected to that office itself. Rather, the House elects a nominee to the office of president-elect. After one year, the president-elect automatically becomes ABA president.
Accordingly, William H. Neukom of Seattle will serve as president-elect for one year after his election by the House in August. He will then serve a one-year term as president starting in August 2007 at the close of that year’s annual meeting in San Francisco.
Laurel G. Bellows of Chicago is the nominee to serve as the next chair of the House of Delegates, the second-highest office in the association. Upon her selection by the House, Bellows will start serving a two-year term at the close of this year’s annual meeting.
The 12 nominees to the 37 member Board of Governors will each serve three-year terms starting in August.
Seven of the nominees will represent regional districts. The other nominees will serve in two seats representing sections, one judicial member-at-large seat, one young lawyer member-at-large seat (out of two), one judicial member-at-large seat and one minority member-at-large seat (out of two).
William H. Neukom
President-Elect
Who He Is: Chair of Preston Gates & Ellis in Seattle. Was a member of the law firm before serving 17 years as executive vice president of law and corporate affairs at Microsoft, and rejoined the law firm in 2002. Member of the ABA House of Delegates since 1978 (Washington state delegate since 1999). Served as ABA secretary in 1983-87. Chaired ABA Young Lawyers Division in 1977-78. Chaired Commission on Governance, which submitted recommendations in 2005 regarding revisions to the ABA leadership structure. Received LL.B. in 1967 from Stanford Law School in California.
Laurel G. Bellows
Chair, ABA House of Delegates
Who She Is: Principal at Bellows and Bellows in Chicago. Represents Chicago Bar Asso ciation in ABA House of Delegates and chairs Select Committee of House. Member of Board of Governors in 2001-04. Council member for General Practice Solo and Small Firm Division. Past chair of Commission on Women in the Profession. Past president of Chicago Bar Association and of National Conference of Bar Presidents. Recipient in 2001 of the ABA’s Margaret Brent Women Lawyers of Achievement Award (presented by the women’s commission). Received J.D. in 1974 from Loyola University School of Law in Chicago.
Wayne J. Positan
District 3
Who He Is: Managing partner/director and chair of labor and employment group at Lum, Danzis, Drasco & Positan in Roseland, N.J. Member of ABA House of Delegates since 2003. Member of ABA Task Force on Hurricane Katrina. Chaired ABA Commission on Multijurisdictional Practice in 2000-02. Served as council member for Section of Litigation and currently chairs the section’s ABA Day Committee. Served on coordinating council of ABA Center for Professional Responsibility in 2000-02. Becomes president of New Jersey State Bar Association in May. Received J.D. in 1974 from New York University School of Law.
Larry S. McDevitt
District 5
Who He Is: President of the Van Winkle Law Firm in Asheville, N.C. State delegate for North Carolina in ABA House of Delegates and serves as vice chair of House Committee on Issues of Concern to the Legal Profession. Member of ABA Nominating Committee. Chair of Commission on Law and Aging. Past president of North Carolina Bar Association and former mayor of Asheville. Received J.D. in 1968 from University of North Carolina School of Law in Chapel Hill.
Charles A. Weiss
District 9
Who He Is: Partner at Bryan Cave in St. Louis. Member of ABA House of Delegates in 1986-95, 1998-2002 and, since 2002, as Missouri state delegate, also serving on ABA Nominating Committee. Member of executive committee of Conference of State Delegates. Past president of the Missouri Bar and the Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis. Received J.D. in 1968 from Notre Dame Law School.
Laurie D. Zelon
District 14
Who She Is: Member of the California Court of Appeal for the 2nd Appellate District in Los Angeles. As state delegate for California in ABA House of Delegates, serves as member of ABA Nominating Committee. Member of House Committee on Issues of Concern to the Legal Profession. Member of ABA Coalition for Justice. Chaired Standing Committee on Lawyers’ Public Service Responsibility in 1987-90 and Standing Committee on Legal Aid and Indigent Defendants in 1993-97. Served on Commission on Evaluation of the Rules of Professional Conduct (Ethics 2000 Commission). President of Los Angeles County Bar Association in 1995-96. Received J.D. in 1977 from Harvard Law School.
Bettina B. Plevan
District 15
Who She Is: Partner at Proskauer Rose in New York City. Member of ABA House of Delegates in 1986-91 and again since 2004. Term as president of Association of the Bar of the City of New York ends in May. Received J.D. in 1970 from Boston University School of Law.
W. Scott Welch III
District 16
Who He Is: Shareholder in Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz in Jackson, Miss. Member of ABA House of Delegates since 1993. As current state delegate for Mississippi, serves on ABA Nominating Committee. Member of Standing Committee on Public Education. Past president of Mississippi Bar. Received LL.B. in 1964 from University of Mississippi School of Law in Oxford.
William P. Curran
District 17
Who He Is: Partner at Curran & Parry in Las Vegas. Member of ABA House of Delegates since 1994. As current state delegate from Nevada, serves on ABA Nominating Committee. Vice chair of Conference of State Delegates in 2002-03. Member of Standing Committee on Criminal Justice Standards in 1983-89. President of State Bar of Nevada in 1988-89 and president of National Association of County Civil Attorneys in 1984-85. Chaired Nevada Gaming Commission in 1991-99. Received J.D. in 1972 from University of California School of Law at Boalt Hall in Berkeley.
Anthony N. Upshaw
Minority Member-At-Large
Who He Is: Partner in the Miami office of Adorno & Yoss. Member of ABA Presidential Advisory Council on Diversity in the Profession. Member of Litigation Section council and a co chair of section’s Membership Committee. Received J.D. in 1990 from University of Miami School of Law in Coral Gables, Fla.
Matthew L. Nelson
Young Lawyer Member-At-Large
Who He Is: Vice president of Wells Fargo Foothill in Santa Monica, Calif. Served as Young Lawyers Division district representative. Received J.D. in 1999 from UCLA School of Law.
E. Paul Herrington
Section of Health Law
Who He Is: Senior legal counsel for Humana Inc. in Louisville, Ky. Member of ABA House of Delegates since 1998, now representing Section of Health Law. Founding chair of Health Law Section in 1996-97. Chaired Health Insurance Committee of the Tort and Insurance Practice Section in 1993-94. Received J.D. in 1982 from University of Louisville School of Law.
Gary A. Munneke
Section of Law Practice Management
Who He Is: Professor at Pace Law School in White Plains, N.Y. Represents Section of Law Practice Management in ABA House of Delegates. Member of ABA Nominating Committee. Past chair of Law Practice Management Section. Past member of Standing Committee on Publishing Oversight. Author or editor of 21 books and form guides published by ABA. Past president of National Association for Law Placement. Received J.D. in 1973 from University of Texas School of Law in Austin.
Louraine C. Arkfeld
Judicial Member-At-Large
Who She Is: Presiding judge of Tempe Municipal Court in Arizona. Chairs ABA Commission on the American Jury Project. Immediate past chair of ABA Judicial Division. Chairs the division’s International Courts and Nominating committees. Chairs Outreach to the ABA Committee in division’s National Conference of Specialized Court Judges. Vice chair of conference in 1996-97. Member of Coalition for Justice in 2001-04. Received J.D. in 1976 from Arizona State University College of Law in Tempe.
