The Bench & Bar magazine is published to provide members of the KBA with information that will increase their knowledge of the law, improve the practice of law, and assist in improving the quality of legal services for the citizenry.
Issue link: https://kentuckybenchandbar.epubxp.com/i/245872
KYLAP AMERICAN BAR ASSOCIATION AWARDS PRESTIGIOUS VOLUNTEER AWARD TO KENTUCKY LAWYER ASA P. "PETE" GULLETT, III, CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER FOR LAWYERS MUTUAL INSURANCE COMPANY OF KENTUCKY FRANKFORT, Ky. — The American Bar Association has awarded Louisville lawyer Asa P. "Pete" Gullett, III, with the prestigious John "Jack" Keegan Award in recognition of his distinguished efforts in support of Kentucky's recovery program for lawyers. Gullett serves as chief operating officer for the Louisville-based Lawyers Mutual Insurance Company of Kentucky (LMICK), a professional liability insurance company created by Kentucky lawyers for Kentucky lawyers. The Keegan Award is named in honor of Keegan, one of the founders of the ABA's Commission on Lawyer Assistance Programs who passed away in 2006. Since Keegan's death, the national commission has seen fit to present this namesake award only once previously – to Kentuckian William L. Hoge III of Louisville, another pioneer of lawyer recovery in Kentucky. Gullett's nomination was submitted by Yvette Hourigan, director of the Kentucky Lawyer Assistance Program (KYLAP), with the support of Kentucky Supreme Court Justice Will T. Scott; former Kentucky Bar Association Executive Director Bruce K. Davis of Lexington; former KYLAP Director Randy Ratliff of Louisville; and Scott White of Lexington, a member of the KYLAP Commission and one of the original volunteers with the Kentucky program. KYLAP is a KBA program that offers help to members of the Kentucky legal community who are struggling with mental health issues, such as depression, alcohol and drug abuse, stress, compulsive gambling or any other condition that may adversely impact the individual's personal or professional life. The ABA's Commission on Lawyer Assistance Programs voted unanimously to present the award to Gullett, a long-time volunteer with the informal "Lawyers Helping Lawyers" group which preceded KYLAP and served as a catalyst for the state's implementation of the official lawyer assistance program. KYLAP CONTINUES TO HOST LAWYERS IN RECOVERY MEETINGS IN HAZARD, LEXINGTON AND NORTHERN KENTUCKY 36 The Kentucky Lawyers Assistance Program (KYLAP) is excited to announce a new Lawyers in Recovery meeting! The next meeting (open to Central and Eastern Kentucky lawyers, law students, and judges) will begin at 6:30 p.m., February 3, at the Hazard City Hall, 700 Main Street, in Hazard. Coffee will be available. Meetings will be held on the first Monday of each month at that location. The Kentucky Lawyers Assistance Program also offers weekly open recovery meetings for lawyers, law students and judges in Lexington and Northern Kentucky. The Northern Kentucky Lawyers in Recovery meeting is held 7:30 a.m., on Tuesdays at Lakeside Christian Church, 195 Buttermilk Pike, Lakeside Park, (Erlanger). The church is located off I-75 exit 186 for Kentucky 371/ Buttermilk Pike. The facility will open at 7:15 a.m. Please bring your own coffee. B&B; • 1.14 The Lexington Kentucky Lawyers in Recovery meeting is held at 7:30 a.m. on Wednesdays at the Alano Club downtown, 370 East Second Street, Lexington, KY 40508. All meetings are 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. Come meet other attorneys and network. All meetings and contacts are confidential. SCR 3.990. For additional information, please visit www.kylap.org, call (502) 564-3795, ext. 266, or email abeitz@kylap.org. Gullett obtained start-up funding for KYLAP program through LMICK and has served as chairperson of the commission overseeing KYLAP since its inception. He was also a member of the selection committee for KYLAP's first director. "The characteristics repeatedly assigned to Pete Gullett are 'tireless,' 'dedicated,' and 'selfless,'" Hourigan said. "He has been a beacon of light and hope for troubled Kentucky lawyers for more than 40 years, and it is with great pride that KYLAP and the Kentucky Bar Association thank him for his now legendary service." John Meyers, executive director of the KBA, said Gullett "routinely rises above the call to service to the Kentucky Bar and its members. He provides a constant source of reason, intellect and integrity as we work to provide assistance to members of our profession who struggle with mental health issues." Gullett, who has worked for LMICK since 1999, received his B.A. from Centre College in 1968 and his J.D. from the University of Kentucky College of Law in 1971. From 1971 to 1999, he was in private practice in Hazard, where he also served as city prosecutor and city attorney. He also served as a member of the Hazard Independent School Board of Education from 1984 to 1999. Gullett was a member of the Perry County Bar Association, serving as its president from 1972-1974, and is now a member of the Jefferson County Bar Association. He served as a member of the KBA's House of Delegates from 1977 to 1983 and from 1990 to 1998, and served on the KBA Board of Governors from 1983 to 1989. Gullett is a member of the American Bar Association and is a fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers. Gullett was the 2000 recipient of the KBA's Justice Thomas B. Spain Award for Outstanding Service in Continuing Legal Education. He was also awarded the KBA's Bruce K. Davis Bar Service Award in 2008 and has been on the faculty of the New Lawyers Program since its inception, including service as its program manager for several years. For more information on KYLAP, visit www.kylap.org. For more information on the KBA, visit www.kybar.org.