3 www.loubar.org October 2025 PRESIDENT’S PAGE Kicking Off Fall with a Month of Celebrations Maria A. Fernandez LBA President “ I think it is time for a celebration. Last month, we celebrated the LBA’s 125th Anniversary. I want to thank the staff for all their hard work in preparing for the party. October is a busy month. It is the second half of Hispanic Heritage Month. October is also, courtesy of Wikipedia: • Breast Cancer Awareness Month (U.S.) • Domestic Violence Awareness Month (U.S.) • Filipino American History Month (U.S.) • Italian-American Heritage and Culture Month (U.S.) • LGBTQ History Month (U.S. and Canada) • National Arts and Humanities Month (U.S.) • National Cyber Security Awareness Month (U.S.) • National Disability Employment Awareness Month (U.S.) • National Pizza Month (U.S.) • National Work and Family Month (U.S.) • Polish American Heritage Month (U.S.) • American Archives Month (U.S.) My birthday is in October; I am 39 again. In fact, it is amazing the number of people I have met who have October birthdays. This includes some celebrities (that I have not met), such as David Lee Roth, Mario Lopez, Brett Favre, John Lennon, Chevy Chase and others. I think it is time for a celebration. Last month, we celebrated the LBA’s 125th Anniversary. I want to thank the staff for all their hard work in preparing for the party. I also want to thank everyone who attended. Children had their faces painted, there were pickleball lessons for others. I also got to catch up with members that I had not seen in a long time. I hope everyone who attended had a great time (see page 9 for a recap of the event). This month at the LBA, there will be several CLE conferences. In particular the Annual Bankruptcy Conference (October 10), The 15th Annual Lively M. Wilson Memorial Lecture Series (October 16) and the Annual Estate Planning Confer- ence (October 30). We also have two “fun” events planned. Please consider attending Lawlapalooza, our annual battle of the bands, on October 17th at Zanzabar. This year’s theme is “Yacht Rock.” Yacht Rock is defined as hits from legends like Toto, Michael McDonald, Steely Dan, Hall & Oates, Kenny Loggins, Chris- topher Cross and more! The proceeds from the event benefit the Judge Ellen B. Ew- ing Foundation. The Foundation uses the proceeds from Lawlapalooza to fund summer fellowships for University of Louisville Brandeis School of Law students to work in the areas of family law, domestic violence and spouse abuse and HIV/AIDS. Also coming up on October 26th is the 3rd Annual LBA Pickleball Palooza: Order on the Court. We expect that our perennial top contender, Bryan Armstrong, will be there to take on all challengers. Come out and play or just come out to cheer on the players and teams. On a more serious note, I recently attended a presentation at the Brandeis School of Law by Skye Perryman, JD, Presi- dent and CEO of Democracy Forward. Her presentation was titled, “Reflections on the People’s Lawyer in an Era of ‘Catch Me If You Can’ Justice.” Her comments on the chal- lenges to the rule of law and Democaracy Forward’s efforts to uphold it were enlightening. Their efforts in the current political environment and their partnerships with law firms and organizations across the country can be found here: https://democracyforward.org/. If you have questions about her presentation, feel free to reach out to me or our Executive Director, Kristen Miller, who also attended. Also this month, we have articles in Bar Briefs from two of our sections, the Labor & Employment Section and the Real Estate Section. Please make sure to read these and if you missed any of the other section articles in prior editions of Bar Briefs, they are available on our website under News and Publications, https://www.loubar.org/bar-briefs-homepage/. Also available on the website are other programs, section and committee meetings and events. You can find information on member benefits, the Knowledge Hub and public service op- portunities. Information on the Louisville Bar Foundation is also available, including how to apply for a grant. Applications for the current cycle of grants are due by October 10, 2025. If you are aware of any non-profit organization that meets any of the following criteria, please advise them to apply: https://www.loubar.org/grants/. The Louisville Bar Foundation accepts grant applications for projects that fulfill one or more of the following objectives: • Projects that improve access to the legal system by persons of limited financial means, and if possible, produce a tan- gible product that can be distributed to the public; • Projects that promote better access to legal information and improved perception of the justice system by minorities; • Projects that improve the operation of, and public confi- dence in, the Jefferson County courts; • Projects that provide public education about our legal sys- tem and promote a positive image of the legal profession. Enjoy October, celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month with a great meal at any one of many Louisville Hispanic/Latino restaurants; whether they be Cuban, Honduran, Mexican, Peruvian or other, I am sure it will be quite an enjoyable meal. Buen provecho!!! And Happy Halloween.
