Bench & Bar July/August 2025

invaluable services provided to Kentucky lawyers at no cost. Many believe this is our most important work. What did I fail to ask you? As I approach my year as the President of the association, two things have bothered me. I see these two things as potentially the most important problems or even opportu nities that we face. The first is demographics. Baby Boomers are the largest age group of lawyers. In 10 years, this generation will have retired, and we will have far fewer lawyers practicing in Kentucky than we do today. And we cannot solve this problem by cranking out more lawyers, because the younger generations are also shrinking. The “Demographic Cliff” is real, and it is here. Populations are dropping and doing so rapidly. This could dramatically reshape the practice of law. How do we substitute the services of the now retired lawyers? Will it be AI? Will it even be human? This brings me to my second concern. Is Artificial Intelligence going to take over

the world? Many top AI researchers say it will, and that it will do so soon. Top AI researchers, Daniel Kokotajlo, Scott Alexan der, Thomas Larsen, Eli Lifland, and Romeo Dean authored a paper titled “AI 2027.” They “predict that the impact of superhuman AI over the next decade will be enormous, exceeding that of the Industrial Revolution.” Kokotajlo is a prominent researcher in AI safety who examines fundamental questions about AI risk, alignment, and the strategic implications of advanced AI systems. He was formerly with OpenAI, which is a lead ing AI research laboratory founded in 2015 with the stated mission of ensuring artificial general intelligence benefits all of human ity. In a recent interview with the New York Times and as spelled out in his paper AI 2027, he predicts that in just a few years AI will completely take over society. What are the legal ramifications of that? I do not want to sound alarmist. But this is what real experts are saying. I plan to focus the 2026 convention on this topic. The convention will be titled: “ BEYOND PRECEDENT: LAW'S NEXT FRON TIER .” More to come.

TERMS EXPIRE ON THE KBA BOARD OF GOVERNORS

On June 30 of each year, terms expire for seven (7) of the fourteen (14) Bar Governors on the KBA Board of Governors. SCR 3.080 provides that notice of the expiration of the terms of the Bar Governors shall be carried in the Bench & Bar. SCR 3.080 also provides that a Board member may serve three consecutive two-year terms. Requirements for being nominated to run for the Board of Governors are contained in Section 4 of the KBA By-Laws and the requirements include filing a written petition signed by not less than twenty (20) KBA members in good standing who are residents of the candidate’s Supreme Court District. Board policy provides that “No member of the Board of Governors or Inquiry Commission shall represent an attorney in a discipline matter.” In addition, any member of the Bar who is considering seeking or plans to seek election to the Board of Governors or to a position as an Officer of the KBA will, if elected, be required to sign a limited waiver of confidentiality regarding any private discipline he or she may have received. Any such petition must be received by the KBA Executive Director at the Kentucky Bar Center in Frankfort prior to the close of busi ness on the last business day in October. PLEASE VISIT THE KBA WEBSITE AT KYBAR.ORG/ABOUT-US/ABOUT-THE- KENTUCKY-BAR-ASSOCIATION/BOARD-OF-GOVERNORS TO OBTAIN A PETITION.

THE CURRENT TERMS OF THE FOLLOWING BOARD MEMBERS WILL EXPIRE ON JUNE 30, 2026:

2 ND DISTRICT RYAN C. REED BOWLING GREEN 4 TH DISTRICT SUSAN D. PHILLIPS LOUISVILLE 6 TH DISTRICT JENNIFER M. GATHERWRIGHT CRESCENT SPRINGS

1 ST DISTRICT JAMES A. SIGLER PADUCAH 3 RD DISTRICT DOUGLAS G. BENGE LONDON 5 TH DISTRICT AMELIA M. ADAMS LEXINGTON

7 TH DISTRICT W. MITCHELL HALL, JR. ASHLAND

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