Bench & Bar July/August 2025

YOUNG LAWYERS DIVISION

If Not You,Who? MORE THAN A LAWYER - “The first thing we do, let’s kill all the [young] lawyers…” William Shakespeare, Henry VI, act IV, Part II, sc. 2, l. 73 BY KYLE R. BUNNELL

I t may seem macabre to open my inau gural Bench & Bar Column with the famous line from Shakespeare’s Henry VI, spoken by Dick the Butcher to Jack Cade, as the pair discuss a rebellion against King Henry. But please indulge me, reader, and the relevance will become clear. The Young Lawyers Division (“YLD”) is the largest and most active division of the Kentucky Bar Association. It is my distinct honor to serve as the YLD chair for the upcoming bar year. As I began to think about the year ahead, I kept returning to Shakespeare’s quote, an echo from a past lecture in Cherry Hall, on my undergradu ate alma mater’s campus. Why did Dick the Butcher speak this line to Jack Cade – and what does it have to do with young lawyers? The first thing a young (or young-at-heart) lawyer 1 does after passing the bar is to take an oath to defend the Constitution and the rule of law. Then, the young lawyer quickly becomes a trusted advisor and defender of their clients. Outside of their professional role, young lawyers are navigating the for midable and formative years of building not only their practice, but their lives. They are spouses and significant others, parents and caregivers, volunteers, community leaders – which go beyond their “9 to 5.” This is not unique to just one practice or area of the law and exists whether you are a solo practitioner, an in-house lawyer, work with a regional firm, or practice with an AM LAW 200 firm. A duality exists. And,

Additionally, the young lawyer has the privilege and burden of protecting and preserving the law. They will take unpop ular cases. They will run for the Legislature or executive roles – from City Council to Congress – and carry with them their law trained minds to create a better world. And all the while, they will pick up the kids from school, attend sporting events or coach the t-ball team, read bedtime stories in silly voices, plan special date nights for their significant others, and myriad other things. The young lawyer recognizes this weight and understands that balance may be a misnomer. They will succeed some days

despite the conflict it creates, young lawyers across the Commonwealth still answer the call each day to be both the best lawyer they can be and the best community and family member they can be too. In recognition of the young lawyers’ works, I selected “More Than A Lawyer” as the YLD’s theme for the upcoming bar year. What would a world be without young law yers? It is because of the time and talents of young lawyers, the YLD is able to keep its rich traditions alive including the Legal Food Frenzy, U@18, offering young-lawyer centered CLEs, and the Road Less Traveled. 2 Young lawyers, too, are the future leaders and stewards of the Bar.

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