Background
Teresa A. Talbott was admitted to the Kentucky Bar in 1991. In 2010, while in good standing and without disciplinary history, she withdrew from Kentucky Bar Association membership under SCR 3.480(1). She thereafter primarily lived and worked in California in a non-legal capacity before returning to Kentucky.
Talbott applied for restoration in November 2025. The record reflected no disciplinary matters, Client Security Fund claims, or evidence contradicting her representations concerning her character, legal history, finances, and employment. Three Kentucky attorneys attested to her character and fitness, and the KBA executive director waived the application’s former-client-reference requirement based on the nature of Talbott’s prior legal work.
The Court’s Holding
The Kentucky Supreme Court granted Talbott’s application for restoration to Kentucky Bar Association membership. It adopted the Character and Fitness Committee’s finding that Talbott had established by clear and convincing evidence that she possessed the character, fitness, and moral qualifications required for restoration under SCR 3.502 and SCR 3.504.
The court noted that Administrative Order 2026-29 had suspended SCR 3.504(3)(e)’s written-restoration-examination requirement. Neither the Committee nor the Office of Bar Counsel requested conditions on Talbott’s restoration. The court ordered Talbott to pay proceeding costs of $29.19, any additional costs exceeding her deposit, and any applicable unpaid bar dues.
Key Takeaways
- A former Kentucky lawyer who withdrew while in good standing may be restored upon satisfying SCR 3.504’s requirements and proving present qualifications.
- The court accepted the Committee’s clear-and-convincing-evidence determination that Talbott was fit to resume practice.
- Administrative Order 2026-29 suspended the restoration examination otherwise referenced in SCR 3.504(3)(e).
Why It Matters
The order illustrates Kentucky’s restoration process for lawyers who voluntarily withdrew from bar membership rather than lost their license through discipline. It also confirms that, during the suspension of the examination provision, a favorable character-and-fitness recommendation may proceed directly to the Kentucky Supreme Court for restoration.