The Fellows of the American Bar Foundation (ABF) have selected their new Fellows Officers for the 2023-24 fiscal year.
The Fellows of the ABF is an honorary organization of attorneys, judges, law faculty, and legal scholars whose public and private careers have demonstrated dedication to the welfare of their communities. Fellows support the research of the ABF through annual contributions and sponsor seminars and events of relevance to the legal profession.
Frank X. Neuner, Jr. of NeunerPate has been nominated to serve as Chair of the Fellows for the next fiscal year.
“I am humbled to have the privilege of serving as the Chair of the ABF Fellows for the upcoming year,” said Neuner. “The ABF performs critical research to advance the Rule of Law and many other social justice issues which support and enhance the principles of our democracy. I especially look forward to working with the ABF staff, the board, and my Fellows Officers to provide support and to advance the work of the ABF for 2024-25.”
Mario L. Barnes, University of California, Irvine Chancellor’s Professor of Law, has been nominated to serve as the Secretary of the Fellows.
“I am honored and very excited to be joining the leadership of the ABF Fellows as Secretary,” said Professor Barnes. “The research that the ABF conducts and the support they provide to a diverse range of scholars is critically important.
“Personally, I have benefited immeasurably from the time I spent as a visiting scholar at the ABF in 2015 and have frequently relied upon the first-rate, empirical research produced there. The work is both academically rigorous and seeks to address some of the most significant issues facing the legal profession and society. I am looking forward to working with others to bring greater attention to and increase support for this vital resource.”
Neuner and Barnes join Jennifer L. Parent (Chair-Elect) and Laura V. Farber (Immediate Past Chair) as the 2024-25 Fellows Officers.
About the ABF Fellows Officers:
Frank X. Neuner, Jr., (he/him) Chair, 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 and is an ABF Patron Fellow.
Jennifer L. Parent, (she/her) Chair-Elect, is a Director and Chair of Business Litigation at McLane Middleton based in Manchester, New Hampshire. Parent has over 27 years of experience litigating and resolving disputes for companies and business owners in a wide range of complex commercial cases, employment matters, and tax abatements. She is an ABF Patron Fellow.
Mario L. Barnes, (he/ him) Secretary, is the UC Irvine Chancellor’s Professor of Law and a nationally recognized scholar for his research 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, Professor Barnes spent 12 years on active duty in the U.S. Navy. He is also an elected member of the American Law Institute, a Distinguished Fellow of the National Institue of Military Justice, and a Life Fellow of the ABF.
Laura V. Farber, (she/her) Immediate Past-Chair, is a partner in the Pasadena, California 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.
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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.