Blog
Rebecca Simpson Recognized as Kentucky Bar Foundation Fellow
by Mandy Hicks
On June 13, at the Kentucky Bar Association Annual Convention, ELPO Law Attorney Rebecca Simpson was recognized as a Kentucky Bar Foundation Fellow during the Fellows and Partners for Justice Luncheon at the Galt House in Louisville, Ky.
The Kentucky Bar Foundation, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1958 with assistance from a founding partner of ELPO Law, Attorney Charles E. English. It serves as the charitable arm of Kentucky’s legal community, which has maintained a lengthy tradition of giving. Its mission is to further the public’s understanding of the judicial system and the legal profession through programs and philanthropic partnerships that help those in need. Over its history, the Kentucky Bar Foundation (KBF) has awarded over $3 million in grants to agencies promoting justice and law-related education for Kentuckians. Foundation support has positively affected the lives of many citizens of our Commonwealth and furthered the administration of justice through programs that include:
- educating the public about law and the justice system
- helping at-risk children
- providing funding to assist abused women and children
- assisting veterans with legal problems by funding clinics offering free legal services
- providing funding to educate high school seniors about abuse of credit
- preserving legal history
The Kentucky Bar Foundation Fellows Program recognizes those members of the Kentucky Bar who through their success in the practice of law and their generosity in contributing to the KBF have shown support for its mission. The program is designed to build an endowment fund, which will be the cornerstone for funding KBF’s grants in future years.
Total grant awards by the KBF totaled $260,000 in 2019 to 32 organizations impacting 120 counties in Kentucky.
About Rebecca Simpson
Rebecca Simpson is partner at English, Lucas, Priest & Owsley, LLP practicing in the area of family law. Throughout her career, Simpson has been committed to professional excellence, to public service and to the improvement of the practice of law. To that end, she serves as a Guardian Ad Litem for children and represents indigent parents in child dependency, neglect and abuse actions and termination of parental rights cases. She serves as the Diversity & Inclusion Chair of ELPO Law and is a former member of the Board of Directors for the Bowling Green Human Rights Commission. Simpson is also a trained mediator, and, in collaboration with her local family court judges, initiated a volunteer mediation project to help low income families develop their own resolutions to disputes outside of court without resorting to litigation. Simpson formerly served as Chair of the Family Law Section of the Kentucky Bar Association and currently serves as Chair of the Alternative Dispute Resolution Section. Simpson is a Fellow of the Kentucky Bar Foundation. She also serves as the Continuing Legal Education Committee Chair for the Bowling Green-Warren County Bar Association. In 2016, Simpson was appointed by Kentucky Supreme Court Chief Justice John Minton, Jr. to serve as a Kentucky Trial Commissioner to preside over disciplinary actions brought by the Kentucky Bar Association. In 2012, the Bowling Green-Warren County Bar Association presented Simpson with the Gwyneth B. Davis Outstanding Public Service Award and, in 2017, she received the Pro Bono Publico Award.
