Two legal titans of Bowling Green will be honored next month at an event organized by the Kentucky Bar Foundation.

Longtime Bowling Green attorney Charles English will be presented with the inaugural Chief Justice John Minton Jr. Award at an award dinner Feb. 6 at La Gala.

The award honors the legacy of Minton, who served as chief justice of the Kentucky Supreme Court from 2008 until his retirement in 2023, and who also served on the Kentucky Court of Appeals and as a Warren Circuit Court judge.

Kentucky Bar Foundation executive director Susan Duncan said that a committee of attorneys in southcentral Kentucky created the award to recognize an attorney in the 2nd Judicial District who embodies Minton’s character, professionalism and commitment to promoting and advancing fair and impartial justice in the state, and that English was a fitting choice to be the first recipient.

“It’s really special to have these two men honored,” Duncan said. “They’re just huge legal giants in Bowling Green and statewide, and it’s really exciting to be able to honor them in Bowling Green.”

Over a 64-year legal career, English has been the founding partner of the Bowling Green firm English, Lucas, Priest and Owsley, specializing in business law, including banking, business and estate litigation, handling cases concerning universities and foundations and managing probate, trusts and estate cases.

English has represented Fruit of the Loom in federal court, defending the company in various shareholder derivative actions against its board of directors and also won a case for the Kentucky Association of Counties Insurance Trust when it sued attorneys for mismanagement and conflict of interest.

He also taught accounting, business law and communication at Western Kentucky University, remaining on the faculty until 1999.

English has been a member of the nominating committees for both the Kentucky Supreme Court and the Kentucky Court of Appeals and has served as chair of the finance committee for the American Bar Association Board of Governors.

As chief justice, Minton guided the judicial system through the 2008 recession and the COVID-19 pandemic, updating personnel policies and overhauling the state judicial branch’s salary structure.

Minton oversaw investment in court technology to enhance statewide access to the justice system, bringing e-filing at the trial and appellate court level to all Kentucky counties.

He also formed Kentucky’s Access to Justice Commission and the Kentucky Judicial Commission on Mental Health.

During Minton’s tenure, the state supreme court adopted uniform Family Court and Juvenile Court rules for the first time.

General admission tickets for the dinner are $75 and are available through Jan. 22.

To buy tickets or sponsorships, visit eventbrite.com/chief-justice-minton-award-dinner-tickets or contact Duncan at sduncan@kybar.org.