This message is sent on behalf of Steve Benesh and Paul K. Stafford, Co-chairs of the State Bar Board Nominations Committee.

The State Bar of Texas is soliciting potential nominees for the 2026 President-elect election.  State Bar Board Policy requires that the Nominations and Elections Subcommittee of the Board of Directors submit to the Board two or more qualified nominees for President-elect.  The Board is required to nominate candidates at its January 26, 2026 meeting. This year, per the State Bar Rules*, candidates shall be nominated from any part of the state.

Any other qualified member may also run as a candidate by filing a petition with the Executive Director on or before March 2, 2026 signed with no less than five percent of the active members of the State Bar who are in good standing. Per State Bar Rules, a petition signature is invalid if it is not dated or the signer signed the petition before September 1 of the year before the election.

The attached notice will be published in the September 2025 issue of the Texas Bar Journal and has information about the nominations and petition process.  

The President-elect election is held in April of 2026.  The subcommittee would like your recommendations as soon as possible.  Please send the names and background information of those you believe the Nominations and Elections Subcommittee should consider to the address shown below.  Those individuals interested in being considered should submit a letter of interest and resume by September 8, 2025. 

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact either of us by email: Steve Benesh (steve.benesh@bracewell.com), or Paul K. Stafford (paul.stafford@texasbar.com), or at the address below.

State Bar of Texas

Nominations & Elections Subcommittee

Attn: Jennifer Reames

P.O. Box 12487

Austin, TX  78711

Thank you for your participation.  We look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,

Steve Benesh

Paul K. Stafford

Co-Chairs, Nominations and Elections Subcommittee, State Bar of Texas

*State Bar Rules Article IV, Section 11 E

A geographical rotation governs the office of president-elect. To be eligible for the office, candidates – whether nominated by the board or by petition as described in Section 11(B) – must have their principal place of practice in a county that meets the requirements of the election year in the following rotation: 1. in the first year of rotation, a Metropolitan County, which means either Bexar, Dallas, Harris, Tarrant, or Travis county; 2. in the second year, a county that is not a Metropolitan County; 3. in the third year, any county. For purposes of this rule, the first year of rotation shall be the election for president-elect for the organizational year beginning in 2018.