A periodic newsletter providing information about the activities of the Kentucky Bar Association
and other information relevant to attorneys practicing in the Commonwealth of Kentucky.

e-News

January 2012

In this issue:

PLAN NOW ON ATTENDING THE 2012 KBA ANNUAL CONVENTION! Mark your calendars now to join the Kentucky Bar Association for its 2012 Annual Convention at The Galt House Hotel in historic downtown Louisville, Wednesday, June 6 through Friday, June 8. Under our convention theme of "Honoring our Past: Preparing For Our Future,” we'll offer a wide variety of CLE programming of interest to practitioners across the Commonwealth. More details are coming soon, but please make plans now to attend!

JOHNSON, KERRICK ELECTED DURING RECENT KBA ELECTION William E. “Bill” Johnson of Frankfort has been elected to the KBA Office of Vice-President and Thomas N. Kerrick of Bowling Green has been elected KBA Bar Governor, 2nd Supreme Court District (SCD), following a recent tabulation of votes certified by a canvassing board at the Ky. Bar Center in Frankfort. A swearing-in ceremony will be held during the Annual Banquet scheduled in conjunction with the KBA’s Annual Convention on Thursday, June 7, at the Galt House in Louisville. The following officers and bar governors will take office effective July 1; the officers will serve a one-year term ending June 30, 2013. The bar governors listed below will serve a two-year term ending on June 30, 2014: Officers President W. Douglas Myers, Hopkinsville President-Elect Thomas L. Rouse, Erlanger Vice President William E. Johnson, Frankfort Immediate Past President Margaret E. Keane, Louisville Young Lawyers Section Chair Jacqueline Sue Wright, Maysville Bar Governors 1st SCD Jonathan Freed, Paducah 2nd SCD Thomas N. Kerrick, Bowling Green 3rd SCD M. Gail Wilson, Jamestown 4th SCD Douglas C. Ballantine, Louisville 5th SCD Anita M. Britton, Lexington 6th SCD David V. Kramer, Crestview Hills 7th SCD Bobby Rowe, Prestonsburg Other Kentucky Bar Governors currently serving terms ending June 30, 2013, are: Serieta G. Jaggers, Princeton, 1st District; R. Michael Sullivan, Owensboro, 2nd District; Richard W. Hay, Somerset, 3rd District; Douglass Farnsley, Louisville, 4th District; William R. Garmer, Lexington, 5th District; J. Stephen Smith, Fort Mitchell, 6th District; and Earl M. “Mickey” McGuire of Prestonsburg, 7th District.  (Top of Page)

LAWYERS AS LEADERS SERIES:  BECOMING A SUPERSTAR CLE SEMINAR If you are a recent law school graduate or someone who took the Kentucky Bar Examination in the last five years, you are invited to a free one-day CLE seminar to assist the transition from law school to practicing law. You will learn valuable information that will help you in your practice and in understanding the rules of court, as well as provide an overview of litigation and basic transactions. The program will be held on March 23, 2012, in Louisville and March 26, 2012, in Lexington.  The event is being provided by Lawyers Mutual Insurance Company of Kentucky (LMICK), the Young Lawyers Section (YLS) of the Kentucky Bar Association (KBA), and the Louisville Bar Association (LBA). Due to limited space, reserve your seat today. Application for approval of this activity for a maximum of 6.75 CLE credits is pending before the Kentucky Bar Association Continuing Legal Education Commission. If you would like to attend, please complete the RSVP card by March 10, 2012. You may fax your response to (502) 568-6103, email information to Meyers@lmick.com, or call (502) 568-6100. Seminar Brochure & Agenda RSVP CARD – due no later than March 10, 2012   (Top of Page)

REQUEST FOR REVISIONS OR ADDITIONS TO THE FAMILY COURT RULES OF PROCEDURE AND PRACTICE (FCRPP) AND FORMS The Kentucky Supreme Court is currently taking requests for revisions and additions to the Family Court Rules of Procedure and Practice (FCRPP), as well as comments and suggestions on the forms mandated by those rules, which became effective Jan. 1, 2011, and were initially presented and reviewed at the 2010 KBA Annual Convention during the Supreme Court Rules Hearing relating to the Civil Rules of Procedure. The Family Court Rules of Procedure and Practice Committee of the Kentucky Supreme Court is now being assembled and will meet to discuss any recommendations relating to these rules. Please send any such recommendations no later than Friday, February 10, to Sara Boswell Dent, Family Court Liaison at Sarad@kycourts.net or mail same to her at the Administrative Office of the Courts, Department of Family and Juvenile Services, 100 Millcreek Park, Building 12, Frankfort, KY 40601, or call her at 502-573-2350, ext. 50517. (Top of Page)

KBA YLS ACCEPTING NOMINATIONS FOR ANNUAL AWARDS The KBA Young Lawyers Section is now accepting nominations for its annual Outstanding Young Lawyer Award, Nathaniel R. Harper Award, the Service to Young Lawyers Award and the Young Lawyer Service to Community Award. The awards will be presented individually to recipients at the KBA Annual Convention, June 6-8, in Louisville. Descriptions of the individual awards and the nomination process and contact person for each are available on the YLS website at http://www.kbayls.org/. All nomination materials must be received by the listed contact person no later than Monday, April 2.   (Top of Page)

LAW DAY 2012 PLANNING GUIDES AVAILABLE FOR DOWNLOAD NOW Bar associations across the Commonwealth are invited to begin their preparations for the KBA’s Annual Law Day Awards Competition by downloading the free 2012 Law Day Planning Guide at www.lawday.org and accessing the link under “Ideas and Resources.” The 2012 Law Day theme, "No Courts, No Justice, No Freedom," underscores the importance of the courts and their role in ensuring access to justice for all Americans. The planning guide is designed to assist bar associations in making their Law Day events successful, interesting and easy to accomplish. The KBA Law Day Committee will award $300 to the first place winner in each of the three bar categories – small, medium and large bar associations. Representatives from the winning associations will be honored at the KBA Membership Luncheon to be held Friday, June 8, 2012, during KBA Annual Convention held this year at the Galt House in historic downtown Louisville. Additional materials regarding Law Day 2012 will be mailed to local bar associations in the weeks ahead. If you need additional information, please contact Shannon Roberts in the Communications Department at the Kentucky Bar Association at sroberts@kybar.org or (502) 564-3795, ext. 224. (Top of Page)

THE NEW Casemaker™ CHANGES LEGAL RESEARCH Casemaker’s newest version of its legal research software is available now to KBA members! Inside are features that Kentucky attorneys have been asking for: Get faster search results with a more intuitive interface Personalized search history, save and reuse your research Save research in folders organized your way. The New Casemaker search bar is now modeled closely on Google’s™ familiar search and appears at the top of every page. You can use simple queries or enter complex search language. Once the results are delivered, intuitive filters help narrow results. The New Casemaker is loaded with organization features and helps you consolidate work in one convenient location. (Note: Mobile users are still accessing Casemaker 2.2, which is being kept current until the new mobile app is ready.) Access the New Casemaker on the KBA’s homepage by clicking here. (Top of Page)

KYLAP ANNOUNCES NEW LOUISVILLE MEETING The Kentucky Lawyer Assistance Program (KYLAP) is pleased to announce that a new Lawyers in Recovery meeting will begin on January 26 in Louisville. The meeting will be held weekly, on Thursday mornings at 7:30 a.m., for one hour, at Dish on Market, 434 West Market Street in a private setting. (Formerly the Delta Bar & Lounge). Coffee, pastries, and a full breakfast will be available for purchase beginning at 7 a.m. The meeting will begin at 7:30 a.m., and is open to law students, lawyers and judges who are already involved or who are interested in a 12-step program of recovery, including but not limited to Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous, Overeaters Anonymous and Al-Anon. For additional information, please visit our website at www.kylap.org, call us at 502-564-3795, ext. 266, or email us at abeitz@kylap.org (Top of Page)

ENCOURAGE PARTICIPATION IN THE KBA ANNUAL STUDENT WRITING COMPETITION Know a young legal scholar? Encourage their participation in the 2012 KBA Annual Student Writing Competition, an annual event which offers students at the state’s three law schools the opportunity to earn recognition, a cash reward, and possible publication in the Bench & Bar. The KBA invites students currently enrolled at the University of Kentucky College of Law, the University of Louisville Louis D. Brandeis School of Law, and the Northern Kentucky University Salmon P. Chase College of Law to enter their previously unpublished articles of interest to Kentucky practitioners. Students should follow the suggested guidelines and requirements in the “General Format” section of the Bench & Bar Editorial Guidelines available here. First place is $1,000; 2nd place is $300 and 3rd place is $200. Entries must be received by June 1. For more information, click here, or contact Shannon H. Roberts at sroberts@kybar.org or call (502) 564-3795, ext. 224. (Top of Page)

DATES APPROVED FOR 2012 KENTUCKY LAW UPDATE The 2012 dates for the KBA’s Kentucky Law Update (KLU) were recently approved by the Supreme Court of Kentucky. They include: September 6-7, Bowling Green, Holiday Inn & Sloan Convention Center; September 19-20, Covington, Northern Kentucky Convention Center; September 25-26, Russell (Ashland), Bellefonte Pavilion; October 2-3, Prestonsburg, Jenny Wiley State Resort Park; October 9-10, Owensboro, RiverPark Center; October 23-24, Gilbertsville, Kentucky Dam Village State Resort Park; October 30-31, Lexington, Lexington Convention Center; November 8-9, London, London Community Center; November 28-29, Louisville, Kentucky International Convention Center. Registration for the 2012 KLU will begin in May; additional information will be posted on the website under CLE – Kentucky Law Update. The KBA staff hopes to build upon the success of the 2011 KLU, which enjoyed the largest turnout ever in the history of the event, with a total of 5,191 attorneys receiving Continuing Legal Education (CLE) training at nine locations across the Commonwealth. The 2011 turnout represents a 1.8 percent increase over the 2010 attendance and a more than 132 percent increase over the program’s initial 2,236 attendance when KLU was introduced in 1987. KLU is a unique benefit of KBA membership, as Kentucky is the only mandatory CLE state that provides members with a means of meeting their mandatory CLE hours without requiring additional payment. For more information on KLU, contact Jennifer Keitz at jkeitz@kybar.org or call (502) 564-3795, ext. 226. U.S. District Court Law Clerk Walter A. Connolly, III, of Owensboro, provides the federal court update during the KLU in Louisville on December 1. James C. Worthington, Sr., of Louisville presents information on Probate and Trust issues during the Louisville KLU. Amanda Hill of Corbin and Joe Stewart of Lebanon discuss information presented during the KLU in London. Henry C.T. “Tip” Richmond III of Lexington participates in the KLU in London on November 3. (Top of Page)

HOT TOPICS AVAILABLE ON KBA WEBSITE Articles and issues of timely importance are featured regularly on the KBA website and can be accessed by clicking the “Hot Topics” icon below. Topics currently featured include two articles edited and reviewed by the KBA Communications and Publications Committee: “The American Invents Act” by Michael Coblenz, a Lexington intellectual property attorney; and “Sexually Violent Persons Acts: What they are and why we need one” by Amy L. Turner of Elizabethtown, a 2011 graduate of the University of Louisville Louis D. Brandeis School of Law and the first place entry in the KBA’s 2011 Student Writing Competition. Please check “Hot Topics” regularly for new features. (Top of Page)

The American Bar Association Releases Report on Kentucky’s Death Penalty Systems The American Bar Association recently released their report, “Evaluating Fairness and Accuracy In State Death Penalty Systems: The Kentucky Death Penalty Assessment Report.” To access the Executive Summary that highlights the findings of the full report, click here. To access the full report, click here. (Top of Page)

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED FOR CITIZEN FOSTER CARE REVIEW BOARDS Citizen Foster Care Review Boards in Bullitt, Henry, Oldham, Shelby, Spencer and Trimble counties are seeking volunteers to make a difference in the lives of local children in foster care. Volunteers are needed to review cases of children placed in foster care because of abuse, dependency and neglect to ensure these children are placed in safe, permanent homes as quickly as possible. Volunteers are not required to reside in the county where a board meets. For more information, click here.  (Top of Page)

SAVE THE DATE - LOUISVILLE BAR ASSOCIATION'S BOWL FOR KIDS' SAKE KICK-OFF LUNCHEON TO BE HELD JAN. 26, 2012 The Louisville Bar Association will host its Bowl For Kids’ Sake Kick-Off Lunch at 12 p.m., Thursday, Jan. 26, 2012, at the Louisville Bar Association, 600 W. Main Street. (All LBA members are invited to the kick-off lunch; you do not have to bowl to attend.) This year’s Attorney Bowl will take place on Thursday, Feb. 16 at the Sports and Social Club on 4th Street Live. Teams can bowl at 5 p.m., 6 p.m., and 7 p.m. All participants will play one game of bowling, plus receive free appetizers and a commemorative T-shirt and various door prizes. Each bowler contributes a minimum of $85 in donations. Players with top pledges are also eligible to win additional prizes. To participate, contact Kate Lindsay by email at klindsay@loubar.org or at (502) 292-6729. Bowl for Kids’ Sake is a fundraiser benefiting Big Brothers/Big Sisters; to set up an online account to begin fundraising, visit Bowlforkidssake.com. To learn more about Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Kentucky, visit www.bbbsky.org.   (Top of Page)

KENTUCKY BAR FOUNDATION GRANTS BENEFIT LAW-RELATED NEEDS ACROSS THE COMMONWEALTH The Kentucky Bar Foundation (KBF) awarded $230,000 in grants in 2011, the highest total in the foundation’s history. In the last two editions of e-News, we’ve highlighted several of the law-related needs and programs that have benefitted from the generosity of Kentucky bar members whose financial support and volunteer leadership make these efforts possible. This final update on the 2011 grants cycle includes an award of $16,000 for the Kentucky Legal Education Opportunity (KLEO) Program’s Summer Institute, a two-week residential pre-law preparatory program that is designed to prepare entering first-year law students from low-income, disadvantaged backgrounds for the rigors of law school. KLEO was created to increase the number of law school graduates from historically under-represented students in Kentucky’s three public law schools; each year the KLEO Program and its Summer Institute accepts five entering first-year students from these schools. During the Summer Institute held at the University of Kentucky College of Law, law professors from each of the schools introduce the KLEO scholars to the curriculum they will encounter during their first year of law school. KLEO scholars are exposed to the special study skills and strategies they will need to succeed in law school; visit with former participants in the program; and are assigned a practicing attorney or judge as a mentor. Also during the 2011 KBF grant cycle, the 2011 KBA Distinguished Judge, Jennifer B. Coffman of Lexington, donated her $2,000 award from the KBF to the Maxwell Street Legal Clinic, while the 2011 KBA Distinguished Lawyer, John G. Prather, Jr., of Somerset, donated his $2,000 award from the KBF to the Robert G. Lawson Professorship at the University of Kentucky College of Law. For more details about these 2011 grants and others, click here. For more information on how you can get involved with the Kentucky Bar Foundation, contact Todd Horstmeyer at thorstmeyer@kybar.org or call (502) 564-3795, ext. 252. (Top of Page)

CONTINUING LEGAL EDUCATION   KBA ONLINE SEMINARS – 24/7 CLE! The KBA Online Catalog offers a great way to take CLE whenever and wherever you have access to the internet! Seminars featuring our highest rated speakers are delivered right to your desktop in streaming audio and video formats. Click here for the latest program additions and ordering information. The catalog also features CLE programs you can download directly to your iPod/mp3 player, for playback at your convenience. Note: Online video and downloaded audio seminars are technological programs, of which you are allowed up to 6.0 CLE credits per educational year. For questions or additional information, contact Ben Swartz at (502) 564-3795 ext. 270 or bswartz@kybar.org. (Top of Page)  KBA TELESEMINARS   Don’t want to travel for “LIVE” CLE credits? The KBA provides you a weekly series of live teleseminars that are as nearby and as convenient as your office or home phone. For the full catalog of offerings, visit http://ky.webcredenza.com/. For questions or to register over the phone, please contact Kim at kim@webcredenza.com or (720) 879-4142. (Top of Page)  Join many other KBA members, and sign up today to have your CLE notifications sent to your e-mail address of record. This action will help eliminate excess paper, create a convenient electronic record for your files, and save the association thousands of dollars allocated to mailing this paper file each year. Just e-mail us a brief note at cle_reg@kybar.org indicating “I grant the KBA permission to e-mail my CLE notifications to me.” To check your e-mail address on record with the KBA, login and look yourself up on the website using Lawyer Locator under the Membership Menu. The e-mail address listed is the one used for your CLE notifications. If you want to change your e-mail address on record, fill out the online address form by clicking the box marked “Request for Address Change.” (Top of Page)