CHARLES E. “BUZZ” ENGLISH, JR., BEGINS SERVICE AS KENTUCKY BAR ASSOCIATION PRESIDENT
Sets fund-raising for KLEO Summer Institute as one of his first priorities
Charles E. “Buzz” English, Jr., of Bowling Green, officially begins his one-year term as president of the Kentucky Bar Association (KBA) today, Wednesday, July 1.
“This is a remarkable honor, and one I
will work diligently to uphold to the very best of my ability,” English
said. “I am looking forward to leading this association into new
directions of service by reaching out to attorneys in all corners of
the Commonwealth.”
English follows a family tradition of
service to the bar association first established by his father, Charles
E. English, Sr., who served as KBA President in 1985. The historic
achievement marks only the second time a father-and-son duo has served
terms as president of the association. The first father-son set to
serve was B.M. Westberry of Paducah in 1978 followed by R. Kent
Westberry of Louisville in 2004.
English grew up attending KBA functions with his dad and followed in his footsteps by attending the University of Kentucky Law School
in 1983. After graduation, he began practice with his father at the
firm English, Lucas, Priest & Owsley in Bowling Green. The firm had
been established by the elder English, a Bowling Green native, and
other attorneys in 1972.
One of English’s first goals as
president is to raise sufficient funds among Kentucky’s legal community
to continue operation of the Kentucky Legal Education Opportunity (KLEO) program’s Summer Institute.
“The KLEO Summer Institute needs our
help,” English said. “Budget cutbacks have threatened to discontinue
this pre-law preparatory program designed to prepare students from
low-income, minority and disadvantaged backgrounds for the rigors of
law school. The summer institute acts as an essential element of the
KLEO Program’s dedicated efforts to increase the number of historically
under-represented students in Kentucky’s public law schools.”
During the summer institute, law professors
introduce KLEO scholars to the curriculum they will encounter during
their first year of law school. The scholars are also exposed to the
special study skills and strategies they will need to succeed in law
school and are mentored by former participants in the program as well
as a practicing attorney or judge.
Based on the national Council of Legal Education Opportunity (CLEO) program, KLEO was initiated in spring, 2002, by former Supreme Court of Kentucky Chief Justice
Joseph E. Lambert as a way of increasing the number of historically
under-represented students in Kentucky’s public law schools. State Rep.
Jesse Crenshaw, D-Lexington, sponsored legislation in the Kentucky General Assembly to provide funding for the program.
Each year, the KLEO program accepts
five entering first-year law students from each of Kentucky’s three
public law schools: the University of Kentucky College of Law; the University of Louisville Brandeis School of Law; and Northern Kentucky University
Chase College of Law. As KLEO scholars, these fifteen students are each
awarded a $5,000 annual stipend toward the cost of their legal
education. A total stipend of $15,000 may be awarded to the scholar
during the three years of law school if the student remains eligible.
“The KLEO scholars we have spoken with
have described the summer institute as every bit as important to their
success as the KLEO scholarships themselves,” English said. “The summer
institute prepares the scholars for the rigors of law school in a way
that is crucial to their ability to perform once law school begins.
That’s why we think it is essential to raise funding for this important
component of the program.”
Two fundraisers for the KLEO Summer
Institute have been planned for July. The first, sponsored by the
Louisville Bar Association’s Diversity Committee, will begin 5 p.m, Thursday, July 16,
at the Louisville Bar Center at 600 W. Main Street, Suite 110. For more
information on this event, contact Scott Furkin, LBA Executive
Director, by email at sfurkin@loubar.org or by phone, (502) 583-5314.
The second KLEO reception and fundraiser will be held 5-7 p.m., Tuesday, July 28, at the Lexington History Museum, also known as the old courthouse, at 215 W. Main Street. Members of the KBA Young Lawyers
Section’s Diversity Committee have been assisting with the organization
of this event. For more information on the Lexington event, contact
Valorie D. Smith by e-mail at VASmith@stites.com or by phone (859) 226-2263.
English said he is encouraging
attorneys throughout the state to consider donations to the Kentucky
Bar Foundation for the specific benefit of the KLEO Summer Institute.
The Kentucky Bar Foundation is an IRC Section 501 [C] [3] organization
and contributions are tax deductible to the full extent of the law.
“These donations in the interest of
diversity are sincerely appreciated.” English said. “We encourage your
assistance in this effort to change the face of justice in Kentucky.”
