Law Club (Louisville, Ky.) Records, 1915-2022
Held by The Filson Historical Society
Creator: Law Club (Louisville, Ky.)
Title: Records, 1915-2022
Rights: For information regarding literary and copyright interest for these papers, contact the Collections Department.
Size of Collection: 3.75 cubic feet in 4 boxes
Location Number: Mss. BO L415
Historical Note
The actual beginning of the Law Club is unknown, the early records having been lost, misplaced, or destroyed many years ago. The Club was conceived of at least as early as 1915 in Louisville, Kentucky, with the “Rules,” or constitution, being drafted sometime in 1915. The organization was officially named the Junior Lawyers’ Club, although common usage resulted in the name “Law Club” replacing it. The first formal meeting was held in January 1916. Following its beginning in 1915 and after meeting through 1916, the Club apparently disbanded in 1917 for the duration of World War I, reforming in 1919 after the war’s conclusion. The earliest known minutes, those of November 20, 1919, state that a meeting was called “for the purpose of reorganizing and carrying on the work that the club was engaged in previous to the outbreak of the war.”
The purpose of the Club, according to the “Rules” was “to advance the interests of the younger members of the Louisville Bar; to increase and encourage the legal scholarship and the social intercourse of its members.” The active membership was limited to 25 members of the Louisville Bar licensed to practice law for less than 10 years. In addition to active members, there was a provision for honorary members consisting of distinguished persons and those who have been active members of the Club for as many as 10 years. The Club met monthly, with the membership taking turns presenting papers. A copy of these papers was to be placed in the Law Club archives, although this did not always occur.
As of 2022, the Law Club continues to gather monthly (with allowances for the COVID pandemic) for discussion and socializing.
From: Revell, Richard A. “A History of the Law Club.”
Scope and Content Note
Collection contains the records of the Law Club, an organization formed in Louisville, Kentucky, in 1915 to advance the interests of the younger members of the Louisville Bar and to promote legal scholarship and social interaction among its members. Records include meeting minutes and correspondence, as well as lists of members and monthly speakers. At each meeting, a member of the Club would present a paper on a legal topic of interest. Meeting minutes contain a summary of the paper presented during the session, and in some instances, a copy of the talk was filed with the minutes. Also included are eulogies composed to remember members who passed away. The collection also contains menus from Club dinners, including a few from the Pendennis Club and the River Valley Club. Finally, there are documents relating to collecting dues from the membership, other bills and financial statements, and a copy of the Club’s constitution and bylaws.
Folder 61a contains a floppy disk with digital files, ca. 1994-1996. Used by the Law Club secretary, these files include meeting notices, speaker lists, attendance sheets, and membership documents. These files are restricted to in-house viewing. Please see the reference desk or email gro.l1726295203aciro1726295203tsihn1726295203oslif1726295203@hcra1726295203eser1726295203.
Photographs have been separated to the Filson photo collection.
Folder List
Box 1
Folder 1: “A History of the Law Club,” by Richard A. Revell.
Folder 2: Abstract of Meeting Minutes, 1916-1979
Folder 3: Membership & Monthly Speakers Lists, 1916-1982
Folder 4: “Rules” of Junior Lawyers’ Club (original constitution), 1915
Folder 5: Constitution & By-Laws revisions, 1985, 1997, 2005, 2022
Volume 6: Minute book, Junior Lawyers’ Club, 1919-1940
Folder 7: Records, 1941-1950
Folder 8: Records, 1950-1954
Folder 9: Records, 1955-1959
Folder 10: Records, 1960-1961
Folder 11: Records, 1962-1964
Folder 12: Records, 1965-1966
Folder 13: Records, 1967-1968
Folder 14: Records, 1969-1973
Folder 15: Records, 1974
Folder 16: Records, 1975
Folder 17: Records, 1976
Folder 18: Records, 1977
Folder 19: Records, 1978
Folder 20: Records, 1979
Folder 21: Records, 1980
Folder 22: Records, January-August 1981
Folder 23: Records, September-December 1981
Folder 24: Records, January-June 1982
Folder 25: Records, July-December 1982
Box 2
Folder 26: Records, 1983
Folder 27: Records, January-June 1984
Folder 28: Records, July-December 1984
Folder 29: Correspondence, 1985
Folder 30: Correspondence, 1986
Folder 31: Correspondence, 1987
Folder 32: Correspondence, 1988
Folder 33: Correspondence, 1989
Folder 34: Correspondence, 1990
Folder 35: Correspondence, 1991
Folder 36: Correspondence, 1992
Folder 37: Correspondence, 1993
Folder 38: Correspondence, 1994-1996
Folder 39: Correspondence, 1997
Folder 40: Correspondence, 1998
Folder 41: Correspondence, 1999
Folder 42: Correspondence, 2000
Folder 43: Correspondence, 2001
Folder 44: Correspondence, 2002-2003
Folder 45: Correspondence, 2004-2007
Folder 46: Correspondence, 2008-2012
Folder 47: Minutes, 1985-1987
Folder 48: Minutes, 1988-1990
Folder 49: Minutes, 1991
Folder 50: Minutes, 1992
Folder 51: Minutes, 1993
Folder 52: Minutes, 1994
Folder 53: Minutes, 1995
Folder 54: Minutes, 1996
Box 3
Folder 55: Minutes, 1997
Folder 56: Minutes, 1998-1999
Folder 57: Minutes, 2000
Folder 58: Minutes, 2001
Folder 59: Minutes, 2002
Folder 60: Minutes, 2009-2015
Folder 60a: Minutes, 2019-2022
Folder 61: Memorial resolutions for Thomas Ballantine, Jr., 1992; John S. Reed II, 2021
Folder 61a: Digital files of Law Club secretary, ca. 1994-1996 These files are restricted to in-house viewing. Please see the reference desk or email gro.l1726295203aciro1726295203tsihn1726295203oslif1726295203@hcra1726295203eser1726295203.
Folder 62: River Valley Club annual dinner, 1992-1994, 1997-1999
Folder 63: Pendennis Club bills and menus, 1985-2001
Folder 64: Menus, 1994-1999
Folder 65: Member rosters, 1989-2001
Folder 66: Speaker notifications, 1989-1993
Folder 67: Attendance sheets, 1993-2000
Folder 68: New member nominations, 1987-1992
Folder 69: New member nominations, 1996
Folder 70: New member nominations, 2000
Folder 71: New member nominations, 2001
Folder 72: Assessment (member dues), 1986-1989
Folder 73: Assessment (member dues), 1990
Folder 74: Assessment (member dues), 1991-1992
Folder 75: Assessment (member dues), 1992-1993
Folder 76: Assessment (member dues), 1994
Folder 77: Assessment (member dues), 1994
Folder 78: Assessment (member dues), March 1995
Folder 79: Assessment (member dues), August 1995
Folder 80: Assessment (member dues), March 1996
Box 4
Folder 81: Assessment (member dues), 1997
Folder 82: Assessment (member dues), 1998
Folder 83: Assessment (member dues), 1999
Folder 84: Assessment (member dues), 2000
Volume 85: Checks, 1974-1999
Folder 86: Bills, 1988-1991
Folder 87: Bills, 1991-1996
Folder 88: Bills, 1997-1998
Folder 89: Bills, 1999-2000
Folder 90: Bills, 2000-2001
Folder 91: Bank statements, 1985-1988
Folder 92: Bank statements, 1989-1992
Folder 93: Bank statements, 1993-1998
Folder 94: Bank statements, 1999
Folder 95: Bank statements, 2000-2001
Folder 96: Deposit slips, 1994-1998
Folder 97: Miscellaneous
Subject Headings
Boy Scouts of America – Trials, litigation, etc.
Clubs – Kentucky – Louisville
Contested elections – United States
Fraternal organizations – Kentucky – Louisville
Gays – Legal status, laws, etc
Jury
Law – Kentucky – 20th century
Lawyers – Kentucky – Louisville
Liebson, Charles M.
Louisville (Ky.) – Politics and government
Louisville (Ky.) – Social life and customs
Religion and state
School integration – Kentucky – Louisville
Urban renewal – Kentucky – Louisville
