Madison law firm Boardman Clark announced Tuesday that Michelle Behnke, who was recently named by the American Bar Association (ABA) Nominating Committee to become the 2025-2026 president, will join Boardman Clark this August. Behnke is an attorney with 35 years of experience focused primarily on business transactions, real estate, and estate planning.
“Michelle is an exceptional addition to our team,” attorney Jennifer Mirus, chair of Boardman Clark’s Executive Committee, said in a statement. “She is an accomplished attorney, renowned for her skilled leadership in raising the bar for the legal profession and a dedicated advocate in our community. We couldn’t be more pleased to welcome her to Boardman Clark.”
In addition to managing her own firm for the past 26 years, Behnke holds leadership positions with several community organizations and industry associations. She currently serves on multiple boards, including Capitol Bank, the University of Wisconsin Foundation, and the University of Wisconsin Law School Board of Visitors. She is also an active member of the Dane County Bar Association, the Wisconsin Association of African American Lawyers, and the State Bar of Wisconsin—where she formerly served as president and treasurer.
In February, Behnke was named by the Nominating Committee of the ABA to become the 2025-2026 president. An association of over 400,000 legal professionals, the ABA is the largest voluntary association of lawyers in the world. The ABA serves as the legal profession’s national representative and supports the public and the legal community by promoting justice, professional excellence, and respect for the rule of law. Pending a formal vote by the ABA House of Delegates, Behnke will begin a one-year term as president-elect in August 2024 before taking office as president in August 2025.
“I am excited to serve the legal profession and our communities across the country and around the world,” Behnke said in a statement. “This service is important, but I also want to ensure that my clients have quality legal representation. I’m very glad to join Boardman Clark, a firm I know shares my commitment to serving the legal profession and is superbly equipped to help support the needs of my clients.”
Boardman Clark, one of Madison’s largest and oldest law firms, serves individuals, businesses, school districts, and local governments. Its areas of service include business, banking and finance, estate planning and probate, family law, franchise and dealership, immigration, intellectual property, labor and employment, litigation, municipal, real estate, school law, and taxation.
