It is with heavy hearts that we share the news that DHHBA member Marsha Taylor passed away on September 26, 2025. 

Many of us had the privilege of meeting Marsha in person at last year’s DHHBA Conference. She was also a frequent contributor to our DHHBA listserv, always ready to share her experiences and provide support to DHHBA members. She practiced family law, and among her many professional accomplishments, one of the most notable was presenting oral arguments before the Kentucky Supreme Court.

Marsha was deeply committed to ensuring that people had access to justice regardless of their ability to pay. She dedicated more than 80 hours of her time to pro bono work, much of it with AppalRed Legal Aid. Charnel Burton, Pro Bono Director of AppalRed, shared this reflection:

“Marsha definitely had a servant’s heart. I remember the first time I ever saw her in court—she was fighting for a juvenile who was facing criminal charges for being beyond the control of the school. It turned out the teacher who brought the charges wasn’t even familiar with the child’s IEP or the protocols for addressing disability-related behaviors. Marsha saved that child from having a criminal record and forced the school to uphold the IEP they had helped create. Not many attorneys will take on a school system, especially in rural counties where schools are often the most powerful entities. That sums up Marsha to me. She would fight for the people who needed her most.”

We hold her family, friends, and colleagues in our thoughts during this difficult time. To learn more about Marsha’s commitment to the law and the families she advocated for, see the links below.  

• Obituary
• Honoring Pro Bono Attorney Marsha Taylor, AppalRed
• Interview with Pro Bono Volunteer Marsha Taylor (Issuu.com)
• G.G., et al. v. Cabinet for Health and Family Services, et al. (Oral Argument in front of the Kentucky Supreme Court)
• Comments from Interpreting Service of The Commonwealth, LLC.

— DHHBA Board