Bench & Bar May/June 2026

BAR NEWS

BOARD OF GOVERNORS MEETING JANUARY 16, 2026 IN REGULAR SESSION, THE BOARD OF GOVERNORS CONDUCTED THE FOLLOWING BUSINESS:

The Board of Governors met on Friday, January 16, 2026. Officers and Bar Governors in attendance were, Presi dent-Elect M. Cook, Vice President J. Watkins, Immediate Past President R. Blackburn, Young Lawyers Division Chair K. Bunnell and Young Law yers Division Chair -Elect C. Stanley. Bar Governors 1 st District – J. Sigler, M. Tierney; 2 nd District – R. Reed, S. McGehee-Shacklette; 3 rd District D. Benge, S. Knight; 4 th District S. Hie stand, S. Phillips - 5 th District – A. Adams; 6 th District , J. Gatherwright, C. Stavros, and 7 th District – M. Click. President T. McMurtry and Bar Gover nors W. Hall and L. Mayo were absent. In the Executive Session, the Board of Governors considered ten (10) dis ciplinary default cases involving one attorney and three (3) restoration cases. 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.

• Approved the lists of members who should be suspended for non-payment of dues and non-compliance for CLE. • Approved the Fiscal Year 2026-2027 KBA and IOLTA Budgets to be submit ted to the Supreme Court for review and final approval. • Vice President J. Tanner Watkins re ported that the 2028 KBA Annual Con vention will be held in Louisville May 11-12, 2028, at the Kentucky Interna tion Convention Center with lodging at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Louisville. • Young Lawyers Division Chair Kyle R. Bunnell reported on ongoing events and initiatives, including a partnership with KYLAP to host a 5K Run/3K Walk during the Annual Convention and the upcoming deadline for YLD Annual Awards. He encouraged Board mem bers to submit information on young lawyers’ accomplishments for inclusion in the YLD Spotlight. Mr. Bunnell an nounced that the Legal Food Frenzy Kickoff will be held February 27 from 5:30–7:30 p.m. at the University of Kentucky Rosenberg College of Law, with the Food Frenzy running March 11–27 having a fundraising goal of $75,000. He also reported that five YLD members will attend the ABA Midyear Meeting as delegates in San Antonio, Texas. The YLD continues its U@18 program, which provides one hour presentations by young lawyers to high school students to help prepare 18 year olds for the transition to adulthood. In addition, YLD has launched a financial literacy video series, beginning with a

recording featuring a WesBanco loan officer addressing home buying, inter est rates, down payments, and escrow accounts. Upcoming installments in clude a partnership with Glenview Trust focused on Roth IRAs, retire ment planning, and 529 plans, as well as a February 24 noon webinar with AccessLex Institute on navigating stu dent loans. Finally, Mr. Bunnell report ed that YLD is partnering with Legal Aid University to host a full day of CLE programming in the fall of 2026. • Director of Administration Melissa Blackwell reported the theme for the annual convention is “Beyond Prece dent: Law’s Next Frontier.” She report ed that the CLE program will feature new specialized tracks designed to of fer attendees a clearer, more custom izable learning experience based on practice area and professional interests. Planned tracks include civil law, estate and elder law, criminal law, family law, business law, and two general CLE tracks. In addition, Friday’s program ming will include a dedicated AI Boot camp focused on the evolving impact of artificial intelligence on the practice of law. As in previous years, we plan to host one “feature” and one “spotlight” presentation each day of the event. Currently, Scott Turow is slated to be the feature presentation on Friday, June 12. We also received a commitment from Ian McDougall, General Counsel of LexisNexis, as a spotlight speaker. Mr. McDougall is a leading voice on the future of law, innovation and the rule of law. Ms. Blackwell reviewed

KBA MEMBERS Do you have a matter to discuss with the KBA’s Board of Governors? The next Board meetings are scheduled on

JUNE 10, 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.

42 may/june 2026