Staff Report
Judge Raymond E. Lape, retired Kenton County Circuit Court Judge, has died.
Judge Lape, 87, received many honors during his distinguished career, including being named Trial Judge of the Year by the Kentucky Academy of Trial Lawyer and receiving the Chase Alumni Association’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 2006.
Northern Kentucky lawyer and author Rick Robinson described Judge Lape as a role model who wore his passion for his job on his sleeve and whose integrity was never questioned.
“The first time I appeared before Judge Raymond E. Lape, he asked if I was ‘Bucky’s boy,'” Robinson said. “When I answered in the affirmative, he requested I remain in the court and meet with him after Motion Docket. Fearing what my dad had done to him, I was pleased to learn they had worked together at the Post Office following WWII. After telling me stories about my dad and grandpa, Judge Lape advised if I ever had any problems in the practice of law, I was to come and see him first.”
In December, Judge Lape had the honor of swearing in his daughter, Judge Kathy Lape, to the seat he formerly occupied on the Kenton County Circuit Court.
A biography supplied by the Northern Kentucky Bar Association after Judge Lape received the NKBA’s Distinguished Lawyer of the Year Award lists many of his accomplishments:
Judge Lape was born on July 19, 1927, in Newport. He received his Bachelor of Science in Commerce from the University of Cincinnati and earned his Juris Doctorate from Chase College of Law in 1968.
Judge Lape had perhaps had one of the most well-rounded life experiences of any practitioner in Northern Kentucky. He has served in the United States Navy, worked at the U.S. Post Office, served as a Kentucky State Police Trooper, and worked as an insurance adjuster for two different insurance companies while attending the evening program at Chase College of Law. He began his career at the law firm of Davies, Nelson and Taliaferro in 1969, later Davies, Lape and Quill, where he represented some of Newport’s more illustrious citizens. Judge Lape remained in private practice until 1979. During his time in private practice, Judge Lape wore many hats in the legal community. He was an Assistant Kenton County Attorney from 1971 to 1979, a judge pro tem for the Newport Police Court from 1971 to 1978, and a city attorney for Crescent Park, Ky., from 1971 to 1976.
Judge Lape left private practice in 1979 when he was appointed to the Kenton County Circuit Court, First Division by Governor Julian Carroll; a position that he held for 16 years until his retirement in 1995. During his tenure on the bench, he also served as Chief Regional Judge for the Sixth Region of Kentucky from 1982 until 1995. He presided over a capital murder trial in Kenton County, Commonwealth v. Gregory Wilson, and presided as a special judge in the case of Commonwealth v. Paul Browning involving the Harlan County Sheriff tried for conspiracy to commit murder. Since his retirement, Judge Lape served as Senior Retired Judge taking special assignments and was active as a private mediator throughout Northern Kentucky and Cincinnati.
In 1989, Judge Lape was named Trial Judge of the Year by the Kentucky Academy of Trial Lawyers. He was the recipient of the Chase Alumni Association’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 2006. In addition to his professional achievements, Judge Lape also acted as president of the Northern Kentucky Legal Aid Society, president of the Chase Alumni Association, member of the association’s board of governors, as well as president of the Chase Benefactor’s Club. He was also a past president of the Campbell County Bar Association.
He was a member of the Kentucky Bar Association, Ohio Bar Association, Northern Kentucky Bar Association, Knights of Columbus, American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars, and Chase Alumni Association. Judge Lape was also treasurer of the Chase College of Law Foundation.
Judge Lape was married to the late Mary Lou Lape for 45 wonderful years. They were blessed with four children and seven grandchildren.
Funeral arrangements are pending.
This story will be updated.