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| Affiliation | Nonpartisan |
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| Name | Jim Shake |
| Address |
, Kentucky , United States |
| Email | None |
| Website | None |
| Born |
July 27, 1955
(68 years)
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| Contributor | RBH |
| Last Modifed | RBH
Apr 19, 2008 10:43pm |
| Tags |
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| Info | Jim was born July 27th 1955, the youngest of Elmo and Mary Shake's four children. He grew up on Homeview Drive in south Louisville in the shadow of Churchill Downs. The financially strapped family could not afford much medical care and his father died of untreated colon cancer when Jim was 7 years old. (Jim remembers being shuffled out of the hospital room on the day of his father's death with assurances that Dad would be home later that day. This was Jim's first lesson about the abiding importance of honesty.)
After his dad's death, his mom struggled to stay afloat financially and according to Jim she was the greatest mother anyone could have. She taught him the values which have informed his life and career to this day. Determined to keep her family together, Mary Shake's resourcefulness included building an addition to their house when Jim was 10. She did it herself using scrap materials scavenged over the course of years. As a young adult, he and his friends would often joke that he should try to be half the man his mother was.
His mom was proud of Jim's athletic success in high school. Jim was not only quarterback and team captain of the Iroquois Raiders, he was also quarterback and team captain of the City All Star team in the Kosair City vs. County All Star Game. His mom sat in the stands many inclimate days and nights to watch him play, though she never knew much about the game. She was, however, most proud of his academic success in college and his appointment to the Circuit Bench in 1993.
Jim is the product of Jefferson County public schools: he went to Frayser Elementary, Southern Junior High, and Iroquois High School. He attended college on a football scholarship to a small school in Mississippi. So afraid of losing the scholarship and understanding the value of an education, he earned a 3.8 GPA his first semester. After he suffered a severe knee injury in his first year, he transferred to Tennessee at Chattanooga to play in a system he thought better suited his game. His knee never fully recovered. Finally he pulled the plug on aspirations of a football career and came back to the University of Louisville to finish his degree, graduating with honors in 1977. The following fall he entered U of L's School of Law and graduated in May of 1980, at age 24. He took the bar that summer and was licensed that fall.
Jim started his legal career as a Jefferson Public Defender. Entrusted with significant cases from the beginning, his first case to go to trial involved a person charged with the murder of a baby. He always handled his cases and clients with utmost professionalism. He has always been dedicated to the highest ethical and professional standards. He was co-counsel in the landmark case of Commonwealth of Kentucky v. Kevin Stanford, a case that wound its way throughout the Federal and State review processes, including the United States Supreme Court.
Following three years of distinguished service in the Jefferson Public Defender’s office, he started private practice while balancing his duties as an Assistant County Attorney prosecuting criminal cases throughout the Jefferson District Courts. His private practice was varied and included domestic relations cases, personal injury cases, business disputes and, after he left the prosecutor's office, criminal defense cases.
Jim sought and was granted appointment to the Jefferson Circuit Court, Division 2 by then-Governor Brereton Jones. He was proud to have his friends, Ellen Ewing, Bill McAnulty and Frank Haddad certify his qualifications to serve. Judge Ellen Ewing issued the oath of office for him on March 13, 1993. He has served with incredible distinction ever since.
The best indication of his performance over the years are the results of the judicial evaluations conducted by the Louisville Bar Association. The Committee which created and has been responsible for these evaluations was honored for its work by being named the 2006 Committee of the Year by the Louisville Bar Association. In each of those evaluations Jim's outstanding performance has been recognized by those most familiar with his work.
The lawyers who participate in the evaluations must certify that they have had significant contact with the judge being evaluated. Thus they are those who have won and those who have lost in his Court. These extensive evaluations are conducted every two years and are not "election cycle" exercises. In evaluation after evaluation Jim has been top rated in EVERY category, EVERY time for years. The categories include: legal ability, judicial integrity, performance in civil cases, performance in criminal cases, docket management and overall performance. The evaluations critique the entire range of jurisdiction of the Circuit Court, which include his criminal and civil trial and appellate work.
He has also fulfilled a major leadership role for the statewide and local judiciary and bar. He has been elected to serve in several statewide positions of the Circuit Judges Association, culminating in his election to serve as its President from 2003 to 2005. His colleagues on the local Circuit bench have now elected him to serve as Chief Judge of the Jefferson Circuit bench on three occasions, including his recent election in 2007. He has been an active member in legal and judicial education programs and, in 2003, was named Judge of the Year by the Louisville Bar Association. Over the course of his 15-year judicial tenure, he has earned the trust, respect and confidence of the profession.
Jim is married to the love of his life, Ann O'Malley Shake. They met while they were both students at the University of Louisville School of Law. Ann was at the law school one evening to deliver a paper for a class. She was there with her 2 children, Charlie and Jay, who were then 6 and 2 years old. They began a conversation that evening which has now been going on since it started in the spring of 1980. Ann and Jim married on February 18, 1984. They had the opportunity to together raise two fine young men. Charlie, now 34 years old, married in November, 2005. He and his wife, Jenet, are expecting Ann and Jim's first grandchild (a boy!) in April of this year. Jay, now 30, is a lawyer practicing with the firm of Kirkland & Ellis in New York City.
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