LMICK Minute

February 15, 2023

News & Updates

Celebrating Black History Month

Since 1976, February has been designated Black History Month, aimed at honoring the significant contributions of African-Americans to our country as well as acknowledging the significant struggles faced across generations. The American Bar Association has compiled a great list of resources to help lawyers and firms recognize Black History month. The ABA’s celebration of Black Legal Trailblazers includes Kentucky’s own Lonita K. Baker, President of the National Bar Association.

LMICK is proud to support the NBA’s Midyear Conference, coming to Louisville April 27-30, 2023, which will pay homage to civil rights leaders Gertrude E. Rush and Heman Sweatt. We are excited to welcome the NBA to Kentucky and hope to see you there!

 

January 18, 2023

News & Updates

LMICK Welcomes Jessica Beavin!

Jessica Beavin

When you call the LMICK office, you may hear a new voice on the other end. Meet Jessica Beavin, LMICK’s new Operations Manager. Jessica will be supporting several areas of LMICK’s operations and will often be your first point of contact when reaching out to the office. Jessica lives in Middletown with her husband, Nick, their 2 dogs, and a cat. She also has a horse who is stabled in Goshen, KY. When she is not at work, she is either visiting her horse, walking her dogs, hanging out with family/friends, or reading a book. We are excited for Jessica to add her talents to our team and continue LMICK’s great service. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., LMICK’s new Operations Manager.

 

December 14, 2022

To Our Policyholders:

We want to express our gratitude for your loyal support of Lawyers Mutual of Kentucky. Without you, we could not provide the protection, risk mitigation education, and service you deserve and have come to expect. Your continued commitment also allows us to assist our many partners that support the Kentucky bar and the communities we all serve.

Throughout the year, we share wellness resources and often remind you to take time to pause, reflect, and relax. This year, we decided to practice what we preach and provide Staff a small break from drafting the monthly LMICK Minute. The monthly newsletter will return in January, full of great resources, including more complete information about the new appellate rules and eFiling requirements effective on January 1, 2023. We hope you will join us in taking a deep breath as we pause to reflect on the year and the things for which we are grateful. You can even increase your point totals under the self-evaluation section of our new annual checkup!

We wish you, your office colleagues, and your family a very happy holiday season! We look forward to serving you in the new year.

Sincerely,
Angela Edwards

November 16, 2022

News & Updates

TODAY! Free CLE at Noon (EST): Resilience Strategies for Managing Stress and Depression During the Holidays

We are heading into what is predicted to be the most “normal” holiday season we’ve seen in years. While that is a relief to many, we are reminded that it is still a season filled with its own unique stressors: additional obligations but no additional time, sometimes difficult family dynamics, and financial stresses. Join moderator, KBA President Amy Cubbage, as she leads a panel discussion on strategies for reducing stress, depression, and anxiety during the holidays. Click here to register. Note, the CLE will be made available on-demand if you are unable to attend the live version.

Should Attorneys Copy Clients on Emails? New ABA Formal Opinion Provides Guidance

“In the absence of special circumstances, lawyers who copy their clients on an electronic communication sent to counsel representing another person in the matter impliedly consent to receiving counsel’s ‘reply all’ to the communication. Thus, unless that result is intended, lawyers should not copy their clients on electronic communications to such counsel; instead, lawyers should separately forward these communications to their clients.” Click here to read the entire opinion.

October 19, 2022

News & Updates

Welcome New Kentucky Attorneys!

On Friday, the latest group of Kentucky attorneys swore they have never fought a duel and officially joined the Kentucky bar. We congratulate them on this great accomplishment! If you are fortunate enough to have a new attorney joining your firm, remember to fill out the “Add an Attorney” form on our website.

Illinois Supreme Court Holds Former Client May Seek Reimbursement of Punitive Damages Award in Legal Malpractice Lawsuit

The Illinois Supreme Court recently held the plaintiff in a legal malpractice case may seek the reimbursement of their actual damages, including any punitive damages the plaintiff was required to pay due to the alleged malpractice. For a full write-up, check out this article from Hinshaw Law.

September 21, 2022

News & Updates

Eastern Kentucky Flooding Disaster Recovery Continues

AppalReD, in conjunction with the Kentucky Bar Association and the American Bar Association Young Lawyers Division, is ready and able to assist Eastern Kentucky flood victims with legal services. Individuals needing assistance should call 1-844-478-0099 during business hours Monday through Friday.

Volunteer Opportunity: Pro Bono

If you are interested in providing pro bono assistance directly to flood victims, we recommend signing up as a volunteer with AppalReD on their website as they provide support for handling cases that may be outside of your typical practice area. Additionally, legal services organizations often offer legal professional liability coverage for those cases the lawyer handles on the organizations’ behalf. As a LMICK insured, your policy will generally cover your pro bono work. However, not all policies from all carriers are the same (and not all volunteer attorneys carry insurance). Always make sure your pro bono cases are covered (and with appropriate limits). For coverage questions under your LMICK policy, please contact us at 502-568-6100.

Volunteer Opportunity: Supporting the Legal Community

For those interested in supporting members of the legal community impacted by the flood, please consider the Kentucky Bar Association’s SOLACE program. Learn more about the program in our wellness section, below!

Disaster Response

August 17, 2022

LMICK is here for you

Once again Mother Nature has proven to be a formidable adversary. Only eight months removed from the record-breaking tornadoes that devastated parts of several Central and Western Kentucky counties, unprecedented flooding has destroyed parts of Eastern Kentucky. All of the families in those communities are in our thoughts and prayers. The LMICK Board and Staff are so sorry for the lives lost, the homes and keepsakes within them ruined, the businesses interrupted and the uncertainty they face about the days and weeks ahead. What is certain is that Kentuckians have and will continue to rally for these families and communities. There are a number of ways to contribute, but LMICK has already contributed time and resources to the Foundation for Appalachian Kentucky. They are doing powerful work and we recommend them for your consideration.

With regard to lawyers more specifically, we know that several lawyers also suffered personal and/or professional loss. Like the situation with the December tornadoes, LMICK Staff has attempted contact with all of our insureds in the affected areas. We have been heartened to hear that most of our insureds are safe and have suffered less loss and damage than we feared. However, we understand there may be delays in submitting renewal applications or premium payments. If you are facing these challenges, please let us know so we can work with you to come up with a plan. You will NOT lose coverage due to flood-related delays.

July 20, 2022

News & Updates

New KBA Ethics Opinion Addresses when a Potential Client becomes a Prospective Client

Many of you attended our session at the Kentucky Bar Association’s Annual Convention exploring when an attorney-client relationship begins. We advised of a forthcoming ethics opinion that would shed more light on the subject and promised to share it when it became available. The KBA Ethics Committee has now published its most recent opinion which focuses on when a potential client becomes a prospective client. We have a short summary of the Opinion on our website but encourage everyone to read the opinion in its entirety in the July Bench and Bar Magazine. Then, check out our On-Demand CLE library later this summer for our updated CLE, Wait, What Do You Mean She is My Client? When Casual Conversations Create an Attorney-Client Relationship.

June 08, 2022

To Our Policyholders:

What an honor to serve Lawyers Mutual of Kentucky’s (“LMICK”) insureds and the lawyers of the Commonwealth of Kentucky for another year. This sentiment is echoed, I know, by the entire LMICK Staff and Board. As a mutual insurance company, LMICK is your company and we are proud to work with you and for you. In anticipation of the upcoming Annual Meeting (more details below), we wanted to take this opportunity to update you on the state of the company and to reflect a bit on 2021.

We Are a Community of Kentucky Lawyers.

Importantly, 2021 marked LMICK’s 15th consecutive profitable year. This accomplishment was made possible, in large measure, by your continued loyalty and support. Thank you. As I say in a note that I write to all those new or returning to LMICK: we appreciate having you as an insured. The financial stability that the Company enjoys allows us to serve the needs of our insureds, specifically, and Kentucky lawyers more broadly. We ended 2021 with a renewal rate of 96% for firms and 97% for attorneys. One hundred and twenty-six (126) new attorneys became LMICK insured in 2021. We would be proud of these numbers in normal times, but to hit these benchmarks in a year in which we continued to fight through a pandemic was remarkable. Together, as a community of Kentucky lawyers, we’ve persevered, and I dare say thrived.

May 18, 2022

News & Updates

Lawyers Mutual of Kentucky Voting Open Until June 10, 2022

If you are the primary name on your LMICK policy, please be aware that proxy materials were sent via email on Monday, May 9 from IntelliScan. Voting for the Board of Directors and on other LMICK business is open until June 10th!.

June 30, 2022 Deadline for Comments to Proposed Amendments to Rules:

Family Court Rules of Practice and Procedure Amendments
The Kentucky Supreme Court is considering proposed amendments to the Family Court Rules of Practice and Procedure. The proposal replaces Subsection 6 (Case Management) of FCRPP 2 Preliminary Matters with two new rules addressing mediation (FCRPP 39) and case management conferences (FCRPP 40). All written comments to the proposed amendments must be submitted electronically to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. by June 30, 2022.

Rules of Appellate Procedure
The Kentucky Supreme Court is also considering proposed amendments to the Rules of Appellate Procedure. Commentary to the amendments explains an overarching goal of simplifying the rules to eliminate common points of confusion among practitioners and pro se appellants. Comments to the proposed rules must be submitted electronically to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. by June 30, 2022.

If you practice family or appellate law, please consider offering your thoughtful comments on the proposed amendments.

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