Bench & Bar September/October 2026

BAR NEWS

KENTUCKY BAR ASSOCIATION NAMES ROBBIE CLEMENTS CHIEF BAR COUNSEL

“ I HAVE FULL CONFIDENCE IN HER LEADERSHIP, AND I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO WHAT'S NEXT FOR THE OFFICE OF BAR COUNSEL UNDER HER DIRECTION. JOHN MEYERS KBA EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

T he Kentucky Bar Association (KBA) is pleased to announce that Robbie Owen Clements has been named chief bar coun sel, succeeding Jane Herrick in this role. As chief bar counsel, Clements will lead the KBA's Office of Bar Counsel, overseeing the investigation and prosecution of attorney disciplinary matters and helping safeguard the integrity of the legal profession across the Commonwealth. "Robbie brings exactly the judgment and integrity this office needs as we continue strengthening how we serve the bar and the public," said KBA Executive Director John Meyers. "I have full confidence in her lead ership, and I'm looking forward to what's next for the Office of Bar Counsel under her direction. I also want to thank Jane Herrick for her years of service to the KBA." Clements is no stranger to the Office of Bar Counsel. She has served the KBA as deputy bar counsel since 2006, and in November 2017 she also took on the role of adminis trative manager, overseeing administrative operations for the office in addition to her legal duties. Over two decades with the association, she has handled hundreds of cases involving all facets of attorney reg ulation, while building deep institutional

knowledge of Kentucky's attor ney discipline system. She has shared that with the members of the Bar as a frequent presenter at the Kentucky Law Update and the New Lawyer Program, and in developing the Trust Account Management Program. Before joining the KBA, Clements served as an assistant county

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attorney for Harris County, Texas, from 1999 to 2005, where she worked on matters related to consumer fraud, community pro tection, animal cruelty, and child abuse. She began her legal career with the Madison ville, Kentucky firm Frymire, Evans, Peyton, Teague & Cartwright. Clements earned her J.D. from the Louis D. Brandeis School of Law at the University of Louisville. Clements is active in the broader bar counsel community as well, representing Kentucky in the National Organization of Bar Counsel (NOBC), a professional asso ciation for lawyer-regulation officials across the country. She served on the board for several years, serving as president from 2023-2024. She continues to serve as the NOBC liaison to the ABA Center for Profes sional Responsibility Standing Committee on Professional Regulation, and as coordi nator of the NOBC Trial Skills program.

The chief bar counsel leads the KBA's Office of Bar Counsel, which enforces the Kentucky Rules of Professional Conduct. In addition to overseeing the investigation and prosecution of attorney discipline com plaints, the role supports other operations of the Office of Bar Counsel, including legal fee and negligence arbitration, clients’ security fund matters, attorney advertising commission support, unauthorized practice of law investigations, and insufficient funds reports on attorney trust accounts— work central to maintaining public trust in Ken tucky's legal system. The Chief Bar Counsel also serves as a key member of KBA lead ership and works collaboratively across departments to uphold the integrity, profes sionalism, and ethical standards of the legal profession throughout the Commonwealth.

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