The Fellows of the American Bar Foundation Select Fellows Officers

Cynthia E. Nance Named Chair of the Fellows 

CHICAGO, Sept. 08, 2021 - The American Bar Foundation has selected Cynthia E. Nance, Dean Emeritus and Nathan G. Gordon Professor at the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville School of Law, to serve as chair of The Fellows of the American Bar Foundation (ABF) for the next fiscal year.   

Nance will lead the Fellows alongside chair-elect Darrell G. Mottley, attorney in the D.C. office of the law firm of Banner & Witcoff, Lt.”; secretary Laura V. Farber, a partner in the Pasadena law firm of Hahn & Hahn LLP; and immediate past chair Hon. Eileen A. Kato (Ret.), former judge on the King County District Court in Seattle, WA. 

Established in 1955, The Fellows of the ABF is an honorary organization of attorneys, judges, law faculty, and legal scholars whose public and private careers have demonstrated outstanding dedication to the welfare of their communities. 

Membership in the Fellows is limited to one percent of lawyers licensed to practice in each jurisdiction. Fellows are recommended by their peers and elected by the Board of the American Bar Foundation. Fellows support the?research?of the American Bar Foundation through annual contributions and sponsor seminars and events of direct relevance to the legal profession. 

About the ABF Fellows Officers 

Cynthia E. Nance is Dean Emeritus and Nathan G. Gordon Professor at the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville School of Law. Her teaching and scholarship focus on labor and employment law, workplace legislation, poverty law, and Lawyers as Leaders. She is also a member of the Arkansas Bar Association Commission on Diversity, the Arkansas Bar Foundation Trust Committee, and the Arkansas Advisory Committee to the United States Civil Rights Commission. Dean Nance is an ABF Sustaining Life Fellow.  

Darrell G. Mottley practices in the Washington D.C. office of Banner & Witcoff, Ltd. He is noted as a strategic advisor and counselor who analyzes global intellectual property issues from legal and business perspectives. Mottley is a past president of the District of Columbia Bar in Washington D.C. He is an ABF Sustaining Life Fellow.  

Laura V. Farber is a partner in the Pasadena law firm of Hahn & Hahn LLP. She practices civil litigation with an emphasis in employment disputes and counsels clients in employment and a variety of other matters. She is also a former member of the Board of Trustees of the Los Angeles County Bar Association. Farber is an ABF Patron Fellow. 

Hon. Eileen A. Kato (Ret.) was appointed to the King County District Court (Seattle) in June of 1994 and retired from the bench in March of 2016. She currently serves as a consultant to the National Center for State Courts, a faculty member of the National Judicial College, and a volunteer for the King County Bar Association Neighborhood Legal Clinic. Judge Kato is an ABF Patron Fellow. 

Read more about the Fellows Officers.  

About the American Bar Foundation 

The American Bar Foundation (ABF) is among the world’s leading research institutes 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.