Bench & Bar July/August 2025

Q&A WITH PRESIDENT MCMURTRY

That the unmet need for legal services in rural Kentucky exceeds the available lawyers needed to address them has been regarded as a given. There have been efforts to address the problem in recent years. Can you advise on how that is going? It is fair to say that this issue has been front and center for about five years. I will provide my take on how to address this problem and then share what some others think we should do. Ultimately, J.D. Meyer and Pres ident-elect Matt Cook will spearhead this issue and seek practical solutions to address a significant problem that every state faces. We are looking at what other states do and trying to envision innovative solutions. I took a personality test once that said I am an intuitive, creative, non-conformist. So, I have tried to offer some creative solutions to this problem. The first, and one I hope we will adopt in our strategic plan, is to have a phone App that Kentuckians can use to connect with a lawyer. So, you may practice in Louisville, but with the App, a person in a rural county can find you. Everyone works off their phone, and an App can facilitate finding the right person. I also see this as an untapped entrepreneur ial opportunity. If I were 20 years younger, I would start a statewide virtual law firm. This would allow a rural practitioner to be in a firm with other lawyers across the state. So, one could work where they grew up, serve that community and still have statewide practice. Other ideas include paying lawyers to work in rural communities in a manner similar to how hospitals attract doctors to rural areas of the state. The solution is likely not one thing, but instead a combination of these ideas. No matter, the KBA is focused on this issue. Many younger lawyers grew up spending much of their time on the internet. Can you describe the KBA’s reach into newer me dia to communicate with practi tioners? I mentioned the App above. We see using an App as a way to deliver not only referrals,

The KBA will continue to monitor develop ments that may impact the administration of justice in Kentucky, always guided by our core mission to serve the public and the profession within the constitutional bound aries established by the Supreme Court. Your late father Steve was a long-time legal practitioner. Did he encourage you to become a lawyer? Was his career an exam ple you have sought to follow? For years, when random people learned who my father was, they would tell me how much they appreciated him and what a fine gentleman he was. These random people ranged from clients to a homeless man I met in the Kenton County Public Library. Lawyers especially complimented his demeanor and professionalism. As well, he was a prolific and successful trial lawyer. I always looked up to him and was proud of his reputation. My father did encourage me to become a lawyer. As I often did, I took his advice and followed in his footsteps. I had the pleasure of working in his office for a few years after I started to practice. I learned a lot. He and I tried my first case in Boone County against another father/son set of lawyers. I kept tell ing him to object. And in a rare instance of getting a little hot, he told me to “shut up and learn.” I did. We won. While I am my own person and have my own style, I often reflect upon his example to guide my decisions. He was a true gen tleman and a great mentor. How does the Board of Gover nors work? How often do you meet? Are there subcommittees to address specific issues? Can you share what issues concern the Board of Governors at the moment? There are five officers and 14 Bar Governors who together lead the Kentucky Bar Associ ation. Two bar governors come from each of Kentucky’s seven judicial districts. They are supported by the KBA’s professional staff. Together, the Board of Governors serves as an agent of the Kentucky Supreme Court for

the purpose of administering and enforc ing the rules governing Kentucky lawyers. We are responsible for lawyer discipline, continuing legal education, the Kentucky Lawyer Assistance Program, setting the KBA budget, organizing the KBA Annual Convention, and many other activities. At present, we do not have formal subcom mittees. I anticipate that we may establish subcommittees to rapidly implement the strategic plan. By the time this is published, I expect that the strategic plan will be com plete. The board will decide how best to structure this project. We normally meet seven times a year, including at the Annual Convention. Meet ings usually last a day depending upon the number of discipline cases to be heard. Each meeting usually includes one or more disci plinary hearings. These are usually handled in the morning. The afternoon is dedicated to reviewing the many initiatives we over see. The Board of Governors oversees all of the KBA’s activities, sets its budget, moni tors its professional staff, and works with the Supreme Court to implement its directives. We also work with the Young Lawyers Divi sion to support its mission. The President of the Young Lawyers serves as a member of the Board of Governors and on the Execu tive Committee. At present, we are working on a few key initiatives. The most important initiative is finalizing and beginning to implement the strategic plan. I mentioned previously our desire to be more effective in working with the legislature. Another important initiative is our Rural Practice Task Force, headed by former KBA President J.D. Meyer. Presi dent-elect Matt Cook also plans to pitch in on this effort, which continues to be a crit ical part of the KBA’s mission. We have too few lawyers in the rural parts of the state. J.D., Matt and others are looking for ways to deliver legal services to these areas and ways of encouraging lawyers to move to and serve these rural communities. Past presi dent Rhonda Blackburn intends to continue her collaboration with the Supreme Court on pending revisions to the rules that govern lawyer discipline. These are each important and impactful projects that will help us better serve Kentucky citizens.

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july/august 2025