Bench & Bar March/April 2026

BAR NEWS

BOARD OF GOVERNORS MEETING NOVEMBER 21, 2025 IN REGULAR SESSION, THE BOARD OF GOVERNORS CONDUCTED THE FOLLOWING BUSINESS:

The Board of Governors met on Friday, November 21, 2025. Officers and Bar Governors in attendance were, Pres ident T. McMurtry, President-Elect M. Cook, Vice President J. Watkins, Immediate Past President R. Blackburn and Young Lawyers Division Chair K. Bunnell. Bar Governors 1 st District – J. Sigler, M. Tierney; 2 nd District – R. Reed, S. McGehee-Shacklette; 3 rd Dis trict D. Benge, S. Knight; 5 th District – A. Adams, L. Mayo; 6 th District , C. Stavros, and 7 th District – M. Click, W. Hall. Bar Governors absent were: J. Gatherwright, S. Hiestand, and S. Phillips. In the Executive Session, the Board of Governors considered eight (8) dis ciplinary default cases involving one attorney. Greg Caudill of Danville, Dr. Michael Knight of Madisonville, Mary Pettus-Rowland of Paducah and Steven Ray of Madisonville, non-law yer members serving on the Board pursuant to SCR 3.375 participated in the deliberations. KBA MEMBERS Do you have a matter to discuss with the KBA’s Board of Governors? The next Board meetings are scheduled on

• Heard a status report from the FY 2026 2027 Budget & Finance Committee. • Investment Committee Chair Andrew Jacobs reported that KBA, KBF, and IOLTA transitioned their investments to Community Trust and Investment Company following an RFP process. As of November 19, 2025, total holdings are $14.4 million, including $224,000 in a short term liquidity account and $14.16 million in a long term account consisting of equities and fixed income. The Committee will continue using an index based strategy, while remaining open to potential individual stock se lection. A performance review meeting with Community Trust is scheduled for December. • Attorneys’ Advertising Commission Chair Rebecca Schafer presented the Commission’s Annual Report. • Unauthorized Practice of Law Com mittee Chair Rodger Lofton presented the Committee’s annual update. • AI Task Force Co‑Chair Steve Embry reported that the Task Force continues to meet quarterly and provide practi cal AI presentations at Kentucky Law Update programs. In January, the Task Force will host four one‑hour AI‑fo cused Town Hall webinars offering free CLE credit. The Task Force is collabo rating with KBA staff to develop an on line AI toolkit modeled after the State Bar of Texas, covering topics such as ethics, procurement, risk management, data privacy, security, and governance.

Members are also developing an AI Boot Camp for the annual convention. Additionally, the Task Force and the Ethics Committee are reviewing SCR 3.130(1.5) to evaluate the reasonable ness of fees associated with attorneys’ use of AI tools. • Immediate Past President Rhonda Blackburn reported that she is serving on the Supreme Court Rules Commit tee, and they are reviewing the pro posed draft amendments to the dis ciplinary rules submitted by the Task Force on Disciplinary Process chaired by Amy Cubbage. Justice Goodwine, chair of the Supreme Court Rules Committee, has set a target date of Feb ruary 2026 for a draft update. • President-Elect Matthew P. Cook re ported that the Summer meeting would be held at West Baden, Ind., on July 16-17, 2026. • Vice President J. Tanner Watkins re ported that the KBA is seeking propos als from the Galt House, Hyatt Regency Hotel and the Kentucky International Convention Center in downtown Lou isville for the 2028 Annual Conven tion. The proposals are being reviewed by the staff, and a final decision will be made soon. • Young Lawyer Division Chair Kyle R. Bunnell reported on several initiatives, including a recent merchandise sale to support branding and participation in KLU events by the Bowling Green con tingency and Second District Repre-

MAY 15, 2026 JULY 17, 2026

To schedule a time on the Board’s agenda at one of these meetings, please contact John Meyers or Melissa Blackwell at (502) 564-3795.

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