The Fellows of the American Bar Foundation (ABF) have announced their officers for the 2025–26 fiscal year. The Fellows is an honorary society of attorneys, judges, law faculty, and legal scholars whose public and private careers have demonstrated outstanding dedication to the highest principles of the legal profession. Through their annual contributions, the Fellows support the ABF’s groundbreaking research and sponsor programming on issues of importance to the legal profession. By virtue of their roles as Fellows Officers, these individuals also serve as members of the ABF Board of Directors.
Jennifer L. Parent, Patron Fellow, of McLane Middleton, Professional Association, has been named Chair of the Fellows for the coming year. Parent is a seasoned trial lawyer with more than twenty-nine years of experience representing companies and business owners in complex commercial and employment litigation and is a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers. A past president of the New Hampshire Bar Association, the New Hampshire Women’s Bar Association, and the National Conference of Bar Presidents, Parent has held numerous leadership roles at the state and national levels, including her current service as the State Delegate for New Hampshire to the ABA House of Delegates and as Chair of its Committee on Rules & Calendar. She has also been recognized for her commitment to mentoring young lawyers and advancing opportunities for diversity and inclusion within the profession.
“It is an honor and a privilege to take on the role of Fellows Chair,” said Parent. “The Fellows play a crucial role in supporting the ABF’s cutting-edge research, which strengthens our legal system and advances justice for all. I look forward to working alongside our dedicated staff, ABF Board Members, Fellows Officers, and State and International Chairs to advance this essential mission.”
Read a Fellows Spotlight interview with Parent here.
Michael J. Hernandez, Life Fellow, of Franczek PC has been named Secretary of the Fellows. Hernandez concentrates his practice on labor and employment law, where he advises employers on collective bargaining, workplace equity, and compliance issues. Prior to joining Franczek PC, Hernandez was General Counsel of the Illinois State Board of Education and Deputy General Counsel for the Chicago Board of Education. He also served as Illinois State Chair of the Fellows of the ABF from 2021 to 2024 and is active in civic organizations dedicated to promoting access to education and opportunity.
Said Hernandez, “I have been honored to work with the ABF and honored to accept this appointment as Secretary of the Fellows. The programs we have shared with the Fellows over the years demonstrate the importance and unique nature of ABF research.”
Read a Fellows Spotlight interview with Hernandez here.
Parent and Hernandez will lead the Fellows’ activities alongside Mario L. Barnes, who moves from Secretary to Chair-Elect of the Fellows, and Immediate Past Chair of the Fellows Frank X. Neuner, Jr., who will continue to continue to lend the perspective of his recent service as Chair.
Mario L. Barnes, Life Fellow, is the UC Irvine Chancellor’s Professor of Law and a nationally recognized scholar on the legal and social implications of race and gender, primarily in the areas of employment, education, and criminal and military law. Prior to his academic career, Barnes spent twelve years in the US Navy. He is an elected member of the American Law Institute and a Distinguished Fellow of the National Institute of Military Justice.
Frank X. Neuner, Jr., Benefactor Fellow, is a founder and the managing partner of NeunerPate, based in Lafayette, Louisiana. His practice focuses on commercial litigation, admiralty and maritime law, and insurance employment law. Neuner serves on the Board of Directors for the Legal Services Corporation.
September also brings three new ABA leaders who will serve as ABF Board Members in an ex officio capacity, as well as newly elected Board Member Mason Ji of Perkins Coie.
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About the American Bar Foundation
The American Bar Foundation (ABF) is the world’s leading research institute for the empirical and interdisciplinary study of law. The ABF seeks to expand knowledge and advance justice through innovative, interdisciplinary, and rigorous empirical research on law, legal processes, and legal institutions. To further this mission the ABF will produce timely, cutting-edge research of the highest quality to inform and guide the legal profession, the academy, and society in the United States and internationally. The ABF’s primary funding is provided by the American Bar Endowment and the Fellows of the American Bar Foundation.