Bench & Bar July/August 2025

vol. 89 no. 4 THIS ISSUE OF THE KENTUCKY BAR ASSOCIATION’S B&B-BENCH & BAR WAS PUBLISHED IN THE MONTH OF JULY. COMMUNICATIONS & PUBLICATIONS COMMITTEE EILEEN M. O’BRIEN chair , lexington PAUL ALLEY florence ELIZABETH M. BASS hendersonville , tenn . JENN L. BRINKLEY pensacola , fla . KYLE R. BUNNELL lexington FRANCES E. CATRON CADLE lexington ALLISON I. CONNELLY lexington JAMES P. DADY bellevue JOHN M. GHAELIAN lexington P. FRANKLIN HEABERLIN prestonsburg JESSICA R. C. MALLOY louisville SANDRA J. REEVES corbin JOHN SCHAAF georgetown GERALD R. TONER louisville ZACHARY M. VAN VACTOR louisville SAMUEL W. WARDLE louisville LITANY L. WEBSTER cincinnati , ohio MICHELE M. WHITTINGTON lexington

CONTENTS 2 President’s Page BY TODD V. MCMURTRY 5 Q & A with KBA President Todd V. McMurtry BY JAMES P. DADY

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2025 ANNUAL CONVENTION WRAP UP

18 Wills & Whiskey: What You Need to Know About Probate BY KELLI E. BROWN 20 Employee Benefits for the Cocktail Party: Dazzle Your Friends BY JOHN R. KIRK AND MICHAELA TAYLOR SHEPPARD FEATURE: COCKTAIL LAW VOL. II

26 Discussing Divorce at a Cocktail Party BY REBECCA SIMPSON 24 Adoption in Kentucky BY JILL M. BRISCOE AND ANNA L. DOMINICK 28 What Should I Do if I Get in a Car Accident? BY MADISON GATTIS AND HALEY DWYER

KATHRYN D. WILLIAMS louisville MARK A. WINSOR lawrenceburg

PUBLISHER JOHN D. MEYERS EDITOR EILEEN M. O’BRIEN

COLUMNS

MANAGING EDITOR SHANNON H. ROBERTS DESIGN & LAYOUT JESI L. EBELHAR

34 Northern Kentucky University Salmon P. Chase College of Law 36 University of Kentucky J. David Rosenberg College of Law

32 Young Lawyers Division BY KYLE R. BUNNELL Effective Legal Writing BY PROFESSOR SUSAN TANNER 35 University of Louisville Louis D. Brandeis School of Law 38

THE B&B - BENCH & BAR (ISSN-1521-6497) IS PUBLISHED BI-MONTHLY BY THE KENTUCKY BAR ASSOCIATION, 514 WEST MAIN STREET, FRANKFORT, KY 40601-1812. PERIODICALS POSTAGE PAID AT FRANKFORT, KY AND ADDITIONAL MAILING OFFICES. ALL MANUSCRIPTS FOR PUBLICATION SHOULD BE SENT TO THE MANAGING EDITOR. PERMISSION IS GRANTED FOR REPRODUCTION WITH CREDIT. PUBLICATION OF ANY ARTICLE OR STATEMENT IS NOT TO BE DEEMED AN ENDORSEMENT OF THE VIEWS EXPRESSED THEREIN BY THE KENTUCKY BAR ASSOCIATION, ITS BOARD OF GOVERNORS, SECTIONS, DIVISIONS, COMMITTEES, OR MEMBERS. ANNUAL DUES AND IS NOT LESS THAN 50% FOR THE LOWEST SUBSCRIPTION PRICE PAID BY SUBSCRIBERS. FOR MORE INFORMATION, CALL (502) 564-3795. POSTMASTER SEND ADDRESS CHANGES TO: B&B - BENCH & BAR 514 WEST MAIN STREET FRANKFORT, KY 40601-1812 SUBSCRIPTION PRICE: $20 PER YEAR. MEMBERS SUBSCRIPTION IS INCLUDED IN

40 Law Practice Management BY JEFF SALLEE

42 Lawyer Wellbeing BY DR. ERIC Y. DROGIN

45 Dues Notice BAR NEWS

50 Continuing Legal Education 54 Kentucky Bar Foundation DEPARTMENTS

46 Judicial Conduct Commission 60 Who, What, When and Where

Cover photo by Jeremy Kramer Photography Inc. Several inside graphics by ©istockphoto.com/JesiEbelhar

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