The Jefferson County Public Law Library has an opening on its Board of Trustees for a representative of the bar at-large. Per KRS 172.200 “the members of the county’s bar shall, by majority vote, elect another of their number.”
Please see below for their bios and the candidates' statement about the importance of the Jefferson County Public Law Library. Send an email to jcpll@bluegrass.net to vote for your favorite candidate. The deadline is January 19, 2021.
The listing order of the candidates is the order in which their notice of interest was received.
Jerry Higgins
I graduated from the Brandeis School of Law at the University of Louisville in 2004, gained admission into the Kentucky Bar in 2004 and Indiana Bar in 2006. Since my first position as a law clerk and then associate at the firm of Pedley, Zielke, Gordinier & Pence, PLLC in 2003, I have focused a large part of my practice on property tax litigation, foreclosures, family law and general civil litigation. In December of 2006, I founded the Law Office of Jerry N. Higgins, PLLC and have practiced with my firm ever since. At present, I still focus my practice in multiple states in the area of property tax lien enforcement and investment with some general civil litigation matters taken on, as well. I employ a staff of 7 in this endeavor.
My affinity for the JCPLL grew week by week once I started my own practice. Back then, I left a sizeable downtown firm with no clients and no resources to practice law on my own. It was quite the change, but, I was determined to grow my own business so as to realize all the benefits of my own hard work and skill. Critical to the success of my venture those first few years was access and membership to the JCPLL. I would spend hours in the library using the resources available since I couldn’t afford same while growing my business. The staff in the library were and are amazing. When asking questions about available resources or how to find something I was ALWAYS met with attention and kindness, no matter how silly or repetitive my inquiry may have been. As time went on, the staff would even reach out to me when discarding older versions of books from Kentucky and Indiana research materials just to see if I had a use for them (which I often did). This level of service and opportunity was one of many factors that led to the success my small firm enjoys today.
When I heard about the opportunity to serve on the board, I felt somewhat of an obligation to at least offer my services to the cause. The JCPLL will always hold a special place in my heart in regard to it allowing me to grow my fledgling firm while maintaining a shoestring budget in those early years. I would be honored to serve in any capacity to assist the JCPLL.
Wes Faulkner
I am an AV rated solo practitioner with 32 years of litigation experience. My career started as a criminal prosecutor at the Jefferson County Commonwealth's Attorney's Office. I then worked as General Counsel for the Kentucky Medical Board., handling physician disciplinary and credentialing cases. The early years of my private practice were spent defending and litigating auto accident cases for Yellow Cab of Louisville. My last 20 years have been primarily focused on representing plaintiffs in medical negligence, products liability, premises liability and auto/trucking accidents. I've presided as a mediator and as a hearing officer for the KBA and administrative agencies in the Commonwealth of Kentucky.
I feel that the Louisville Public Law Library provides not only the necessary research resources to the legal community, but also provides a location where attorneys can still go to conduct research, see other members of the bar and appreciate the historical significance that our research efforts go towards helping our community at large.
John H. Helmers, Jr.
I have been practicing in Louisville for more than 25 years. The initial portion of my career was at the Louisville Metro Public Defender's office where I worked in the adult division. I went into private practice in 1996 working in a small firm, initially Howard and Helmers, PLLC. We morphed over the years - merging with the larger firm in 2012. I returned to the atmosphere of a small firm 4 years ago. My practice is largely family law and has included a significant portion of court appointed work for indigent parents in abuse/neglect cases. Throughout my career, I have remained a "law nerd". I am the rare bird that enjoys reading new cases and thinking about the developments in the law.
I feel that a robust law library is essential to a healthy legal community. The law library serves small firms and solo practitioners who lack the resources to buy treatises and other secondary materials that larger firms have at their disposal. Justice cannot be served if only one litigant (or his counsel) has access to the necessary tools for the job. Additionally, there is an increasing percentage of persons who represent themselves. These citizens cannot function without access to a healthy law library. Particularly in the field of family law, a significant portion of the docket is proceeding pro se. Their lives (and their children's lives) can depend on access to the materials available in the law library.
Alan Bryant
My name is Alan Bryant. I graduated from Centre College of Kentucky and the University of Kentucky Law School. I was with Louisville Title/Commonwealth Land Title Company for 40 years. My principal practice is in real estate, wills, and estate law. I am a member of the Kentucky Bar Association, the Louisville Bar Association, the American College of Real Estate Lawyers and CREL. I have been active in working the Legal Aid Society and was named an Outstanding Volunteer Attorney in 2015. I am currently a council member for the city of Graymoor/Devondale.
I believe that a strong viable Public Law Library is extremely important for the health of our legal community. A Public Law Library provides the opportunity for the general public to access legal information and is a crucial resource for attorneys who do not have, or may not be able to afford, needed research tools.
