Bench & Bar September/October 2026

avionics systems for the U.S. Air Force and NATO. He began his legal career as a Judicial Staff Attorney for the Honorable Thomas B. Russell of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Kentucky. He has served as President of the Kentucky Chapter of the American Board of Trial Advocates and currently is the Chair of the Kentucky IOLTA Fund Board of Trustees and a board member of the Kentucky Bar Foundation. A graduate of the University of Kentucky and the University of Kentucky Rosenberg College of Law, he was admitted to the Kentucky Bar in 1995. Mr. Stevens is a Life Fellow.

Bar Foundation Board of Directors at the KBF annual luncheon on June 12, 2026, in Covington.

Judge J. Brandon Price, Sr. (1910 1994) was born in Benton, Kentucky. He practiced law in Paducah and served as a McCracken County Circuit Judge for 16

Marcia A. Smith of Corbin practices law at Smith & Smith Law Offices. She pre viously served as a Law Clerk for Judge Charles M. Allen, U.S. District Court,

years. He also served as a United States Commissioner of the District Court for Western Kentucky. Judge Price served in the United States Army during World War II and was a judge advocate of the Ameri can Legion for Kentucky. A graduate of the University of Kentucky and the University of Kentucky Rosenberg College of Law, he was admitted to the Kentucky Bar in 1935. Judge Price was enrolled posthumously as a Life Fellow by Kent & Julie Price in con junction with the 9th Annual Judge Edward H. Johnstone Award Dinner.

Western District of Kentucky. Ms. Smith currently serves as a member of the Ken tucky Bar Foundation Board of Directors representing the Third Supreme Court Dis trict. A graduate of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and the University of Louisville Brandeis School of Law where she graduated first in her class, she was admit ted to the Kentucky Bar in 1975. Ms. Smith is a Life Fellow.

Daniel N. Thomas of Hopkinsville prac tices law at Thomas, Arvin & Adams, PLLC. A graduate of the University of Kentucky and the University of Florida

Christopher L. Rhoads of Owens boro practices law at Rhoads & Rhoads, PSC. He has also served as a Special Justice on the Supreme Court of Kentucky and

Clay M. Stevens of Louisville practices law at Napier Gault Schupbach & Stevens, PLC. Before entering the legal profession, Mr. Stevens worked as a software engineer

Levin College of Law, he was admitted to the Kentucky Bar in 1974 and is also a member of the Florida and Tennessee Bars. Mr. Thomas was enrolled as a Life Fellow by his law firm in conjunction with the 9th Annual Judge Edward H. Johnstone Award Dinner.

is the current President of the Kentucky Justice Association. A graduate of Furman University and the University of Kentucky Rosenberg College of Law, he was admitted to the Kentucky Bar in 1996. Mr. Rhoads is a Life Fellow.

with TRW Space & Defense, where he con tributed to the development of advanced

More fellows continues on the next page.

Gwen Smallen burg , a Spencer County native who currently resides in Frankfort, served as Program Manager of the Kentucky Bar Foundation and Ken

tucky IOLTA Fund from August 28, 2001 until her retirement on July 31, 2026. Ms. Smallenburg has the distinction of being the longest tenured staff member of the KBF and IOLTA. Prior to starting her career at the KBF and IOLTA, Ms. Smallenburg worked 18 years as an Administrative Assis tant at Texas Instruments Incorporated (10 years in Dallas, Texas and the last 8 years in Versailles, Kentucky). She was recognized as an honorary Life Fellow by the Kentucky

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