Billy Ray is a partner at Thompson Coburn LLP
Bill Bay, a partner with the St. Louis office of US law firm Thompson Coburn LLP, was named the American Bar Association president-elect. Bay will assume the role of ABA president in August 2024 at the conclusion of the term of Mary L. Smith, who became ABA president this month.
“It is a great honor and privilege to follow in the footsteps of so many extraordinary leaders,” Bay said. “It is also a humbling experience to be chosen for leadership in these times of challenge and change. Now more than ever, lawyers need the American Bar Association. The ABA is a place where every lawyer can find a home, value, worth and fulfillment. I look forward to working with President Mary Smith, our volunteers and staff on this great adventure as we prepare for an exciting future for our association and profession.”
A longtime leader in the ABA, Bay co-chaired the Practice Forward initiative, which arose from and addressed member concerns regarding the COVID-19 pandemic as well as the future of the profession. Bay also served as chair of the House of Delegates from 2018 to 2020 and, from 2012 to 2013 he chaired the Section of Litigation. He chaired the ABA Day Planning Committee in both 2021 and 2022.
A fellow in the American Bar Foundation, Bay served on the ABA board of governors and chaired its finance committee from 2015 to 2016. For more than 20 years, he has been a member of the ABA House of Delegates, serving on numerous committees.
Bay is a highly experienced litigator who has represented major corporations in high-stakes litigation for more than 30 years. His clients vary from major financial institutions to manufacturers to postsecondary institutions, and he regularly helps organizations manage and respond to large portfolios of litigation in multiple jurisdictions.
Among his many accolades, Bay has been honored with the Spurgeon Smithson award, a top honor given by The Missouri Bar; and the Distinguished Lawyer Award, the highest honor awarded by the Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis.
