The following LBA members have been recognized for notable contributions to the Louisville legal community and beyond.
Judge of the Year
Hon. Susan Schultz Gibson
Hon. Susan Schultz Gibson has presided in Division 12 of Jefferson Circuit Court since 2007. Her industry, competence and impartiality on the bench have earned the respect of civil and criminal litigators on both sides of the adversarial system. Whether in high-profile cases or routine matters, she is prepared, even-handed and prompt in dealing with legal disputes that come before her as well as unfailingly courteous to the parties and counsel involved. She has also helped raise public awareness of important mental health issues, serving on the boards of Mental Health America and the Louisville chapter of the National Alliance for Mental Illness. She was jointly nominated for this award by the Jefferson County Commonwealth’s Attorney and Chief Public Defender who wrote: “. . . Judge Gibson is a consummate professional and an even better person. She possesses all the virtues and exemplifies all the qualities the bench and bar seek in a judge and desire to have modeled in our courts.”
Justice Martin E. Johnstone Special Recognition Award
Edward M. "Ted" King
Edward M. “Ted” King is a member of Frost Brown Todd where he serves as chair of the firm’s Finance Committee and helps lead its Bankruptcy Practice Group. In bankruptcy matters, he represents debtors, creditors and committees in insolvency proceedings. For the past nine years, he has spearheaded the Credit Abuse Resistance Education (CARE) program which teaches high school seniors how to develop and live within a budget, make responsible spending decisions and avoid the many pitfalls associated with consumer credit. Since its inception in 2008, CARE – the LBA’s largest public service project – has recruited and trained dozens of attorney volunteers who have reached more than 27,000 teens in both public and private schools throughout Jefferson County. Funding from the Kentucky Bar Foundation enables students to hear professional presentations, receive high-quality materials and access an online clearinghouse for additional credit information and resources.
Judge Benjamin F. Shobe Civility & Professionalism Award
Thomas B. Wine
Thomas B. Wine has served as Jefferson County Commonwealth’s Attorney since 2013, returning to lead the office where he began his legal career in 1980. After serving as a prosecutor, he was elected to the bench where he was a judge in Jefferson Circuit Court and on the Kentucky Court of Appeals for 20 years, being named the LBA’s Judge of the Year in 1997. Both as an advocate and a jurist, he has modeled the highest standards of ethics, civility and professionalism even amidst adversity and in the public eye. He has also volunteered extensively with community groups, most notably the Boy Scouts of America whose Lincoln Heritage Council conferred upon him the Silver Beaver Award, the highest honor given to a volunteer. He is a Master and past-president of the Louis D. Brandeis American Inns of Court which nominated him for this award, noting that “Tom embodies and demonstrates in his everyday practice all the values, qualities and virtues the award represents.”
Paul G. Tobin Pro Bono Service Award
Shannon R. Fauver
Shannon R. Fauver is a solo practitioner who primarily represents clients in bankruptcy and Social Security disability matters. She has also made a name for herself in the LGBT community in family law matters, including representing plaintiffs in a landmark U.S. Supreme Court case that legalized same-sex marriage. A graduate of the LBA’s Leadership Academy and a longstanding member of the Pro Bono Consortium, in 2016 she joined a corps of volunteer attorneys who came to the aid of 1,500 eastern Kentucky residents at risk of losing Social Security benefits because of alleged misconduct by their prior attorney. She and others donated countless hours to helping them re-establish their right to benefits crucial to their economic survival. As Tara Bassett of Bridgehaven Mental Health Services wrote, “Shannon is an excellent attorney with a passion for doing the right thing.”
Frank E. Haddad Jr. Young Lawyer Award
Aaron M. Dyke
John K. Spalding
Aaron M. Dyke and John K. Spalding are co-recipients of this award in honor of a legendary criminal defense lawyer and lion of the trial bar. Mr. Dyke, a graduate of the LBA's Leadership Academy, is an attorney in the adult trial division of the Louisville Metro Public Defender's Office. He not only maintains an active caseload of defendants charged with misdemeanor and felony offenses but also supervises seven other attorneys. Mr. Spalding, who hung out his own shingle right out of law school, has a thriving practice devoted to personal injury, landlord-tenant and bankruptcy cases in addition to criminal defense. In the early stages of their careers, both have demonstrated the skill, work ethic and commitment to excellence personified by this award's namesake.
Committee of the Year
Pro Bono Consortium
Sarah J. Martin, Chair
In the 25 years since its formation, the Pro Bono Consortium, currently chaired by Sarah J. Martin of the Jefferson County Attorney’s Office, has been at the heart of the Louisville legal community's pro bono efforts, providing attorneys with meaningful ways to volunteer and vulnerable citizens with much-needed free legal assistance. Launched as a joint venture of the LBA and Legal Aid Society in 1992, the Consortium has since expanded to include members of the local judiciary, faculty and students at the University of Louisville Brandeis School of Law and many individual members of the private bar. Thanks to the Consortium, the Domestic Violence Advocacy Program, now operating in all 10 divisions of Jefferson Family Court, is ensuring that victims of domestic violence do not have to face their abusers alone in court. Doctors & Lawyers for Kids, an innovative medical-legal partnership, is training physicians and attorneys to work together to improve the health of low-income children and families. Free pro se divorce clinics, held every other Friday at the Judicial Center, are helping unrepresented litigants obtain simple divorces and navigate post-decree issues related to child support, custody and visitation. These are just a few of the ways the Consortium is harnessing the power of the legal profession to meet pressing community needs.
Section of the Year
Public Interest Law Section
Marc A. Theriault, Chair
Real Estate Section
Jessica D. Smith, Chair
The Public Interest Law Section, chaired in 2016 by Marc A. Theriault, general counsel to the Administrative Office of the Courts, mounted a novel public awareness campaign aimed at reducing the number of Jefferson County citizens who do not appear when summoned by the courts for jury duty. With partial funding from the Louisville Bar Foundation, the section used bus ads, videos and social media to emphasize the importance of jury service and the vital role jurors play in the justice system.
The Real Estate Section, chaired in 2016 by Jessica D. Smith, a partner at Vaughn & Smith, presented an impressive lineup of continuing legal education seminars – including the interdisciplinary Kentucky Commercial Real Estate Conference – and contributed thoughtful and informative articles to a special Bar Briefs section that showcased various aspects of real estate law and the attorneys who practice it.
