Bench & Bar May/June 2026

the events and activities scheduled for the Board on Tuesday and Wednesday. She reported that based on attendee feedback requesting more networking opportunities, we are rebranding the traditional Bench & Bar and YLD Joint Reception into a more casual, extend ed Membership Mixer. The event will be complimentary for all attendees and will be held off-site at The Firehouse at Covington Yard from 5:00 until 7:00 p.m. The Annual Banquet will begin at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday to present the distinguished awards and conduct the swearing-in of the Board. • Executive Director John D. Meyers provided an update on Long Range and Strategic Plan initiatives by subcom mittee. Goal #1 – Maintain and en courage the highest levels of ethical conduct: Plans include a KYLAP arti cle on judicial perspectives on lawyer well being, with potential contributors including Chief Justice Lambert or Jus tice Conley; anonymous stories high lighting lawyers who have overcome personal challenges; promotion of the Supreme Court’s adoption of Com ment (7) to Rule 1.1 on competence, with former Chief Justice VanMeter as a potential author; and the contin ued inclusion of well being articles by Dr. Eric Drogin in each Bench & Bar edition, aligned with the ABA pillars of well being. Goal #2 – Foster members’ professional excellence and satisfac tion: The AI Task Force, in coordina tion with KBA staff, is developing an AI Toolkit for the website, along with a weekly January AI Webinar Series offering free CLE credit. Communica tions staff are also exploring ways to revamp Bench & Bar to increase rel evance and engagement, and efforts continue to enhance the value of par ticipation in KBA sections and divi sions. Goal #3 – Build organizational capacity: Plans include inviting Profes sor Hannah Haksgaard, author of The Rural Lawyer: How to Incentivize Rural Law Practice and Help Small Commu nities Thrive , to speak via Zoom to the Long Range & Strategic Plan subgroup and the Rural Practice Task Force. Goal #4 – Strengthen organizational effectiveness and continuity: Mem ber benefits will be promoted through

newsletters, eNews, social media, email campaigns, a benefits list in the January Bench & Bar , and promotional videos. Succession planning efforts are under way for tenured staff through the devel opment of process manuals, along with a procedural manual for KBA presi dents. The KBA also plans to create a “Message Map” to support consistent messaging, media responses, and mar keting efforts. • General Counsel Katie Shepherd re ported she has been working on revis ing the KBA Bylaws, KBA Handbook and Personnel Policy Manual as well as other in-house policies. Ms. Shepherd reviewed the Bylaw changes and ad vised that most of the edits are editorial and are not substantive changes. Fol lowing the review, it was the consensus of the Board to pass the approval of the Bylaw changes to the March in-person meeting. • Mr. Meyers reported that Ms. Shep herd conducted research on how other states are handling succession planning for solo and small firms. The KBA has received several requests to help small firms find special commissioners after having to close their practices and the costs can become exorbitant. Mr. Mey ers recommended the creation of a task force to develop rules or guidelines that

the KBA can share to help these firms navigate the closing process. • Ratified the email vote to submit the following nominees to the Governor to fill two positions on the Public Advo cacy Commission: Roula Allouch, Al lison Connelly, Whitney True Lawson, Phillip Longmire, Katina Minor and Whitney Westerfeld. • Mr. Meyers announced the results of the recent Board of Governors elec tions for the Office of Vice President and for Bar Governors in the 4 th , 6 th and 7 th District. The newly elected of ficer and bar governors will begin their terms on July 1, 2026: Vice-President: Amelia Adams, Lexington; 4 th District: Ronald E. Johnson, Louisville; 6 th Dis trict: Jennifer L. Lawrence, Covington; and 7 th District: R. Stephen McGinnis, Greenup. • Mr. Meyers reported the CLE Abroad will be held in Morocco, on May 17-25, 2026, and currently 26 people have reg istered. • Mr. Meyers reported the CLE software conversion was completed in mid-De cember. He advised that overall, the transition has been smooth, and the new system has more capability.

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