Kentucky IOLTA Fund

Turning Trust Account Interest into Access to Justice

WHAT IS IOLTA?

Interest on Lawyers’ Trust Accounts (IOLTA) is one of the most impactful ways the Kentucky Bar Foundation fuels access to justice across the Commonwealth.

Without adding cost to attorneys or their clients, the Kentucky IOLTA Fund transforms routine financial activity into meaningful support for civil legal aid, pro bono programs, and initiatives that strengthen Kentucky’s justice system. IOLTA pools the nominal interest from lawyers’ trust accounts and turns it into grants supporting civil legal aid and public interest fellowships.

Nearly $23 million awarded to civil legal services since 1988.

View Kentucky IOLTA's 2025 Annual Impact Report
View Kentucky IOLTA's 2025 Annual Impact Report

How IOLTA Works

The Kentucky IOLTA Fund was established in 1986 by Kentucky Supreme Court Rule 3.830, and participation in the program became mandatory for Kentucky attorneys on January 1, 2010.  The program uses the advantage of pooling client trust funds to generate interest in excess of service fees and administrative costs.  Attorneys in the program deposit small or short-term trust funds into interest-bearing accounts, and the interest earned on those funds is paid directly to the IOLTA Fund.  Client funds remain under the control of the attorney, who continues to maintain his or her trust account, and neither the attorney nor the client is taxed on interest generated from the account.  The interest is awarded annually in the form of grants.

INTEREST EARNED

Attorneys place small or short-term client funds into interest-bearing trust accounts.

FUNDS POOLED

The interest generated, after standard bank fees, is pooled through the IOLTA Fund.

GRANTS AWARDED

Those funds are distributed as grants to organizations providing legal services and improving access to justice across Kentucky.

Participation in IOLTA is required for Kentucky attorneys under Supreme Court Rule 3.830.

Key Resources:

IOLTA Information For Attorneys

Access Attorney Resources & FAQs
Access Attorney Resources & FAQs

Financial institutions play a critical role in the success of IOLTA by offering compliant interest-bearing trust accounts.

Key Information:

IOLTA Information For Banks & Financial Institutions

Access Bank Resources & FAQs
Access Bank Resources & FAQs

How Grants Are Used

IOLTA funds are distributed through a structured grantmaking process to support:

  • Civil legal aid services across Kentucky

  • Pro bono and access-to-justice initiatives

  • Law student public service fellowships

  • Programs that improve the justice system

All funding decisions are carefully reviewed to ensure meaningful, statewide impact.

Governance & Oversight

The Kentucky IOLTA Fund is:

  • Administered by the Kentucky Bar Foundation under SCR 3.830

  • Governed by an 11-member Board of Trustees

  • Subject to oversight by the Kentucky Supreme Court

Grant recommendations are developed annually and approved by the Court to ensure accountability and alignment with statewide needs.

 IOLTA Board of Trustees 2025-2026

Officers

Chair: Clay M. Stevens, Louisville
Secretary/Treasurer:  Olivia H. Gilkison, Ashland

Trustees

First Supreme Court District
Ben E. Stewart
Paducah

Second Supreme Court District
Katina B. Miner
Bowling Green

Third Supreme Court District
Amanda L. Hill 
Corbin

Fourth Supreme Court District
Clay M. Stevens
Louisville

Fifth Supreme Court District
Eileen M. O'Brien
Lexington

Sixth Supreme Court District
James  A. Dietz
Florence

Seventh Supreme Court District
Olivia H. Gilkison
Ashland

Kentucky Bar Association
Todd V. McMurtry
Ft. Mitchell

Kentucky Bar Foundation
Melinda T. Sunderland
Louisville

Kentucky Bankers Association
Luther Deaton, Jr.
Lexington

Kentucky Supreme Court
Justice Kelly Thompson
Bowling Green

Kentucky IOLTA Fund Staff

  • Susan Duncan

    EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

  • Gwen Smallenburg

    PROGRAM MANAGER

  • M. Eric Cox

    PROGRAM ASSISTANT

Questions? Contact Us

IOLTA Nationally

There are IOLTA programs in all fifty U.S. states, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

For more information, watch this short video about the history of IOLTA in North America, presented by the ABA Commission on IOLTA and The National Association of IOLTA Programs, with generous support from The Florida Bar Foundation, The Law Foundation of British Columbia, and The Alberta Law Foundation.

Additional Resources

Explore these resources for more information about the impact of IOLTA programs in Kentucky and across North America.

  • The IOLTA.org website is a joint project of the National Association of IOLTA Programs and the ABA Commission on IOLTA, and it offers the public information about IOLTA and IOLTA programs.

  • The American Bar Association has supported IOLTA since its inception.  To support the initiation and operation of IOLTA programs around the country, the ABA created the American Bar Association Commission on IOLTA in 1986.

  • The Client Trust Account Handbook (3rd ed.) continues the joint effort of the Kentucky IOLTA Fund and Lawyers Mutual Insurance Company of Kentucky to provide Kentucky lawyers with information on their fiduciary obligations when they are entrusted with property of clients, prospective clients, and third parties.