Bench & Bar January/February 2026

FEATURE: SENIOR LAWYER ADVICE

of Kentucky and his law degree from Har vard University. Jack was also described as “a lawyer’s lawyer” and had a reputation as a formidable trial lawyer. He was very involved in legal ethics issues in Kentucky, having been on the Kentucky Bar Associa tion’s Ethics Hotline and a member of the KBA Ethics 2000 Committee, whose report was submitted to the Kentucky Supreme Court and culminated in a major overhaul of the Kentucky Rules of Professional Con duct. While I did not have the privilege of ever seeing Jack work his magic as a litiga tor, it was Jack’s work with legal ethics issues and his focus on professionalism that I got to see firsthand. In 2006, the law firms of Stoll, Keenon & Park, LLP, and Ogden Newell & Welch PLLC merged to form Stoll Keenon Ogden PLLC, and Jack Ballantine, previously with the Legacy Ogden law firm, became Stoll Keenon Ogden’s first general counsel. Shortly thereafter, I was asked to be the merged law firm’s deputy general counsel, working with and under Jack. It was in this context that I observed Jack’s practi cal application of the Rules of Professional Conduct as the firm’s general counsel, which helped shape my own growth as a legal ethics lawyer and law firm general counsel. I cherish the memories of working with Jack through legal ethics issues and of discussing not only the ins and outs of the matter, but also how we would convey our analysis to our inquiring colleagues. Jack would with greater and greater frequency allow me to take the lead in the joint expla nation, which, I imagine, instilled in others the confidence Jack had in me and my anal ysis. This process and Jack’s confidence in me when I was still a relatively young law firm general counsel also bolstered my own growing confidence in my assessments of legal ethics issues and helped shape my ability to effectively convey those assess ments to colleagues, some of whom were far more experienced than I. All the while, Jack instilled in me the crucial recognition that a general counsel’s client is the organi zation and so, as general counsel and deputy general counsel of the law firm, our client was the law firm itself.

I came to appreciate that Jack’s calming influence and even-keel demeanor, which presented the reassuring presence that makes for a trusted advisor, were influenced by Jack’s own mentors. Early in my tenure working with Jack as his deputy, an oppos ing counsel had done or said something that angered me, but Jack settled me down. Jack shared that – when he was, as he described it, a “cub lawyer,” he was working for Squire Ogden. Like me, Jack had been frustrated by something someone else had done. Jack said that Squire Ogden settled him down and explained: “Jack, you can get in a fight with a skunk, and you can whup the skunk. But you’re going to come out smelling like the skunk.” Indeed, it was Jack’s professionalism, in both word and deed, and his recognition of the importance of having a solid reputa tion in life and within the profession, that was reflected in this fable. While develop ing a good reputation in the profession may take many years, that same reputation can be ruined in an instant. Jack was also generous with his time in developing younger lawyers: providing sage advice and a steadying presence, to help mold better writers. When one submitted a draft memorandum or brief to Jack for his review, he was not shy about putting a red pen to it. Any young lawyer who submitted their draft to Jack for his review knew what was coming – a lot of red ink – but his com ments and suggestions for improvement were what we were looking for. With the time he invested in providing those com ments and suggestions, Jack taught young lawyers to be better writers, clearer commu nicators, and better lawyers. It has been several years since I had the privilege of working with Charlie and Jack, and memories do fade. But without ques tion, the two of them, and so many others who helped me along my own journey to being a better lawyer, left a lasting impres sion on me. Perhaps that is the sign of a good lawyer mentor: someone who not only guides one’s future but leaves a pos itive lasting impression that makes one a better lawyer and a better person. As more

experienced lawyers, we owe it to less expe rienced lawyers, and to the preservation of the profession, to invest time in mentoring. Mentoring is not merely a sharing of “war stories.” Rather, it is showing others how to practice law and how to maintain a solid reputation for one’s commitment to excel lence, ethics, and professionalism. Equally important, it is sharing how to become that trusted advisor to clients that we should all aspire to be. In doing so, perhaps we will inspire other attorneys like Charlie and Jack inspired me.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

SHANNON "A.J." SINGLETON is gen eral counsel to and a member of the law firm of

Stoll Keenon Ogden PLLC, with his pri mary office in Lexington. A litigator by trade, he has focused his practice over the last several years on legal ethics and risk management issues. He is a member of the ABA Standing Committee on Ethics and Professional Responsibility, former chair of the ABA Business Law Section’s Professional Responsibility Committee, a member of the ABA Business Law Section Council, and a member of the Kentucky Bar Association’s Ethics Com mittee. He frequently lectures on legal ethics and risk management issues, including in presentations specifically designed for in-house counsel. Single ton received his undergraduate degree from Furman University and his law degree from the University of Washing ton School of Law.

8 january/february 2026