News & Updates
Congratulations to Kentucky’s Newest Attorneys!
LMICK would like to congratulate Kentucky’s (soon to be) newest attorneys! The swearing in ceremony is set for April 25, 2024 in Frankfort. If you have a newly admitted attorney joining your practice, remember to add them to your policy by filling out this Add an Attorney form on our website.
LMICK Annual Shareholder Meeting May 9, 2024
Policyholders are cordially invited to attend the LMICK Annual Meeting on May 9, 2024 at 8:00 a.m. We hope you will join us either in-person at the Marriott RiverCenter, Kentucky Room in Covington as the Kentucky Bar Association Convention kicks off or via zoom. Zoom meeting information will be included in a LMICK Minute Special Edition in May ahead of the meeting and convention.
Make Your Vote Count: Complete Your Proxy Voting Via Intelliscan, Inc.
On March 18 and April 16, policyholders received an email from intelliscaninc.net with a direct link to your electronic proxy to vote on matters, including 5 directors. Please review the proxy statement provided with that email for more information about the vote. A last reminder email is scheduled for April 30, 2024.
We want to make sure your vote counts! Please complete the proxy form at your earliest convenience. If you do not receive the Intelliscan email, please check your junk or spam filters. If you have any questions about the proxy email, please reach out to
Practice Management
How Long Do I Have To Keep That File?
Well, that depends. (Do you feel like you are back in law school?) Other than the rule requiring all client trust account records to be retained for at least five years, there are no specific requirements. In this article, we walk through our recommendations for setting your firm’s document retention and destruction policy and tips for communicating the policy to your clients.
Questions? Contact Courtney Risk (
Lawyer Well-Being
A Note From Yvette: “April is the Cruelest Month”
Our April installment comes from Yvette Hourigan, Executive Director of the Kentucky Lawyer Assistance Program (KYLAP).
In his 1921 poem “The Waste Land,” T.S. Eliott wrote “April is the cruelest month.” For most, it’s counter-intuitive that depression would ramp up just when the days begin to lengthen, and the world inevitably begins to sprout new life and bloom again. But in 1921, as Europe was reeling in the aftermath of World War I, Eliott wrote his most famous poem while he himself was recovering from a profound mental health crisis, in the peak of his emotional distress. Eliot asserts that April is cruel because it starts the cycle over again — the cycle of hurt, failure and sadness. Although it is the start of spring and new beginnings, these new beginnings are “meaningless.”
Pretty heavy stuff for the springtime, right? But Eliot was not alone in his springtime sadness. The most suicidal months of the year occur in the spring; April, May, and June are when suicide rates are highest. It is not fully understood why suicide rates peak in the spring, but some theories include the following:
- During the winter and early spring, people who have depression have a lot of company from others who feel low because of the weather (think seasonal affective disorder, for example). When spring arrives, people who are depressed because of the weather cheer up, while people who are depressed for other reasons remain depressed and they must confront their own unhappiness. I have heard individuals say, “I thought it would get better when the weather changed, and the sun was shining more.” When it doesn’t, we feel bad about feeling bad and think if the lovely spring weather doesn’t change anything, maybe nothing will. What’s important to understand is that untreated depression will not be fixed by sunshine and flowers blooming. Mental health is “fixed” by mental health care. The gold standard for mental health care is therapy combined with medication if indicated.
- There is a documented increase in manic behaviors in the springtime and bipolar disorder symptoms worsen during the spring. This could also trigger the self-destructive behaviors often seen with mania.
- In the winter, we all tend to “hole up” inside and we have fewer social obligations. When the weather warms, social pressures return (think Easter, Derby, graduations). Those who feel forced into social engagement may feel additional stress.
- Remarkably, even our allergies may contribute to our depression. Allergic symptoms are markers of inflammation in the body, and there are studies that have shown associations between inflammation and mood disorders.
If we can take that first (and very difficult) step of asking help, accept that help, and try what’s suggested, we can improve our depression and reduce our risk of death by suicide.
If you’re feeling like April is the cruelest month, you are not alone. KYLAP has recently published stories of lawyers who were in exactly the same place and were able to get medical help for the medical problem of depression. KYLAP offers 4 free mental health visits to any member of the Bar who asks. Just visit our website at www.KYLAP.org or call us on our 24-hour answer line at 502-226-9373.
April doesn’t have to be the cruelest month. It can be a new beginning if you’re struggling with depression and are willing to make the call for assistance. Make that call.
Coming in May: KYLAP Introduces First-of-its-Kind Screening Program for Lawyers
In May, KYLAP will introduce the first confidential online Interactive Screening Program for Lawyers in the country. It’s a completely anonymous Interactive Screening Program for Kentucky Lawyers only, created by our partners at the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. Our hope is that the opportunity to privately screen for depression and anxiety will encourage more lawyers to understand the opportunities for treatment that are available. Stay tuned for more information in the coming weeks.
Upcoming Events
2Q LMICK CLE: I (Can’t) Challenge You to a Duel: Kentucky Attorneys and the Ethical Implications of Dueling
May 21, 2024 at 1:00 pm
1.0 Hour KY Ethics CLE Credit
“I... have not fought a duel with deadly weapons within this State nor out of it, nor have I sent or accepted a challenge to fight a duel with deadly weapons, nor have I acted as second in carrying a challenge, nor aided or assisted any person thus offending...” New Kentucky attorneys have giggled their way through this oath for generations, but few have become borderline obsessed with figuring out how it even got in the Constitution in the first place, why we still say it today, and wondering whether the Model Rules or the Kentucky Supreme Court Rules would prevent us from dueling without it. Fortunately, Kentucky attorney Anna Girard Fletcher has developed just such an obsession and through a series of historical anecdotes, pop culture references, attorney discipline cases, and absurd hypotheticals will lead you on a journey through Kentucky’s dueling past, and a discussion of the ethical implications of the way we “duel” today.
See you at Convention!
We are excited for the Kentucky Bar Association’s Annual Convention in Covington on May 9-10, 2024. Make a plan to see the LMICK session on Thursday afternoon for Real World Applications of Generative AI in the Legal Arena. Courtney will be joined by Kentucky lawyer Allan Cobb and Tyler Alexander, co-founder of the legal AI program CoCounsel. The panel will discuss practical tips and ethical considerations when utilizing AI in your legal practice.
Our Board Chair Ruth Baxter will also be speaking during convention, including a session at the New Lawyers Program. If you have a new lawyer in your firm attending, make sure they stop by our booth to say hello!
Click here for more information about the KBA Convention and to register.
Now On-Demand: What Lawyers Need to Know about the New Beneficial Ownership Information Reporting under the Corporate Transparency Act
1.0 Hour KY CLE Credit
Our First Quarter CLE is now available on-demand! Many small business are now required to report Beneficial Ownership Information (BOI) to the federal government pursuant to the Corporate Transparency Act. Owners of law firms and lawyers that advise clients in business formation need to be aware of these new requirements. Join us as we discuss the nuts and bolts of the BOI reporting requirement to ensure your firm and your clients are in compliance. We will also address what ethical obligations, if any, you may owe to current or former clients that you advised regarding business formation.
We look forward to seeing you!
We are proud to support the organizations that support you and your work! We will be out and about this spring, leading CLEs and sponsoring events. We hope you can join us at one of these currently scheduled events (and make sure to come say hello)!
April 17: Fuels for Finals: UK Law School, Lexington
April 17: NKBA Small and Solo Section Monthly CLE, Covington
April 19: UK Worker’s Compensation Institute, Lexington
April 22: KJA Seminar, Virtual
April 24: KJA Seminar, Virtual
April 24-25: AAML/KBA Family Law Seminar, Louisville
April 25: New Lawyer Swearing In, Frankfort
April 26: Women in the Law Summit, Cincinnati
May 1: Fayette Co. Bar Association Law Day, Lexington
NKBA Match Program, Erlanger
NKBA Law Day, Crestview Hills
May 9-10: KBA Annual Convention, Covington
May 16: Mason Co. Bar Association CLE, Maysville
May 16: KJA Meeting
May 17: NKBA Small and Solo Section Monthly CLE, Covington
May 21: LMICK 2Q CLE
June 7: UK Employment Law Institute, Lexington
June 14: McCracken Co. Bar Association, Paducah
We want to hear from you! Have a CLE topic you would like to see? Send suggestions to
Need a CLE Speaker? We would love to speak to your group! You can check out our updated list of available topics and request to schedule, here.
Angela Logan Edwards – President/CEO
Courtney Risk – Education & Engagement Specialist