MEMBERS OF FIRM
Stephen W. Van Zant (Member) born Louisville, Kentucky, October 28, 1967; admitted to bar, 1994, Kentucky. Education: University of Kentucky (B.A., with high distinction, Honors Program, English, 1990); University of Louisville (J.D., 1993). Phi Beta Kappa. Member: Hardin County, Kentucky and American Bar Associations; Kentucky Association of Trial Lawyers. Practice Areas: Real Estate; Negligence; Banking Law; Estates; Contract Law.Email: Stephen W. Van Zant
Matthew C. Hess (Member) born Elizabethtown, Kentucky, November 10, 1972; admitted to bar, 1998, Kentucky; 1999, U.S. District Court, Western District of Kentucky; 2000, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Kentucky. Education: University of Kentucky (B.S., Agriculture, 1995; J.D., 1998). Member: Hardin County and Kentucky Bar Associations. Reported Cases: Kentucky Farm Bureau Mut. Ins. Co. v. Thompson, Ky., 1 SW3d 475 (1999); Hardin v. Action Graphics, 57SW3d 844, Ky. App. (2001); James v. Wilson Ky., 95 SW3d 875 (2002); Schwindel v. Meade Co., Ky., 113 SW3d 159 (2003). Practice Areas: Personal Injury; Insurance; Civil Litigation.Email: Matthew C. Hess
Thomas N. Kerrick (Member) born Elizabethtown, Kentucky, August 2, 1955; admitted to bar, 1980, Kentucky and U.S. District Court, Western District of Kentucky; 1986, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Kentucky and U.S. Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit. Education: University of Kentucky (B.S., 1977; J.D., 1980). Certified Mediator. Member, University of Kentucky, College of Law Alumni Board (President, 1997-2000). Special Justice, Supreme Court of Kentucky. Member: Bowling Green, Kentucky and American Bar Associations; The Association of Trial Lawyers of America; Kentucky Academy of Trial Attorneys; Kentucky Defense Counsel; American Board of Trial Advocates (Advocate). Practice Areas: Trial Practice; Insurance Defense Litigation; Personal Injury Litigation; Products Liability; Construction Litigation.Email: Thomas N. Kerrick
Gregory N. Stivers (Member) born Hazard, Kentucky, June 20, 1960; admitted to bar, 1985, Kentucky; 1986, U.S. District Court, Western District of Kentucky; 1989, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Kentucky. Education: Eastern Kentucky University (B.A., with distinction, 1982); University of Kentucky (J.D., 1985). Member: Bowling Green, Kentucky (Member, Sections on: Corporate, Banking and Business Law) and American (Member, Section on Labor and Employment Law) Bar Associations; Kentucky Bankers Association, Bank Counsel Division. Practice Areas: Business Law; Commercial Law; Employment Law; Real Estate.Email: Gregory N. Stivers
D. Michael Coyle (Member) born Jeffersonville, Indiana, May 8, 1940; admitted to bar, 1965, Kentucky, U.S. District Court, Western and Eastern Districts of Kentucky, U.S. Supreme Court and U.S. Tax Court. Education: University of Kentucky (B.S., Accounting, 1962; J.D., 1965). Certified Public Accountant, 1968 Circuit Court Judge, Hardin Circuit Court, 1981-1986. Master Commissioner for Hardin Circuit Court, 1996 Domestic Relations Commissioner for Hardin Circuit Court, 1996 Certified Mediator, Contracts and Commercial Disputes. Member: Hardin County Bar Association (President, 1974-1975). Practice Areas: Corporate; Trusts and Estates; Probate Law; Real Property Law; Litigation.Email: D. Michael Coyle
Stephen W. Van Zant (Member) born Louisville, Kentucky, October 28, 1967; admitted to bar, 1994, Kentucky. Education: University of Kentucky (B.A., with high distinction, Honors Program, English, 1990); University of Louisville (J.D., 1993). Phi Beta Kappa. Member: Hardin County, Kentucky and American Bar Associations; Kentucky Association of Trial Lawyers. Practice Areas: Real Estate; Negligence; Banking Law; Estates; Contract Law.Email: Stephen W. Van Zant
H. Brent Brennenstuhl (Member) born Williamsburg, Kentucky, February 1, 1963; admitted to bar, 1988, Kentucky and U.S. District Court, Western District of Kentucky; 1989, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Kentucky; 1990, U.S. Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit; 1997, U.S. Supreme Court. Education: University of Kentucky (B.A., 1985; J.D., 1988). Managing Editor, Kentucky Law Journal, 1987-1988. Member: Trial Advocacy Board Trial Competition National Team, 1988; Order of Barristers. Author: "Children's Claim for Loss of Parental Consortium: A Cause of Action Untested on its Merits in Kentucky, Kentucky Bench & Bar, Vol. 59, No. 2; "Kentucky Law of Torts," Harrison Co., 1996; "Negligent Misrepresentation As 'Accident ' or 'Occurence ' Warranting Insurance Coverage," 58 ALR 5th 483. Member: Bowling Green-Warren County (President, 1996) and Kentucky Bar Associations; Kentucky Defense Counsel; Defense Research Institute. (Certified as a Civil Trial Specialist by the National Board of Trial Advocacy). Practice Areas: Insurance Defense Litigation; Products Liability Law; Errors and Omissions; Employment Law.Email: H. Brent Brennenstuhl
Laura M. Hagan (Member) born New Haven, Kentucky, April 2, 1964; admitted to bar, 1993, Kentucky; registered to practice before U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Education: University of Kentucky (B.H.S., 1987; J.D., 1993). Member, American Society of Medical Technologists, 1987-1993. ASCP Board of Registry Registrant, 1987. Member: Bowling Green, Kentucky and American Bar Associations; American Intellectual Property Law Association; Association of University Technology Managers; Kentucky Academy of Hospital Attorneys. Practice Areas: Patents; Copyrights; Trademarks; Insurance Defense Litigation; Unfair Competition; Intellectual Property Litigation.Email: Laura M. Hagan
Shawn Rosso Alcott (Member) born Carbondale, Illinois, December 28, 1967; admitted to bar, 1993, Kentucky. Education: Vanderbilt University (B.A., 1990); University of Kentucky (J.D., 1993). Business Manager, Kentucky Law Journal. Author, "Acid Rain: The Use of Diplomacy, Policy and the Courts to Solve a Transboundary Pollution Policy," Journal of Natural Resources & Environmental Law, Vol. 8, No. 2. Co-Author: "Hospital and Healthcare Provider Liability," Kentucky Health Law, Third Edition, Chapter 8, University of Kentucky Office of Legal Education, 2000. Law Clerk, Kentucky Court of Appeals, 1993-1994. Adjunct Professor, Environmental Law, Geology Department, Western Kentucky University (1999). Assistant, Warren County Attorneys Office, 1994-1995. Member: Bowling Green-Warren County and Kentucky Bar Associations; Kentucky Academy of Hospital Attorneys. Practice Areas: Civil Litigation; Insurance Defense Litigation; Environmental Law.Email: Shawn Rosso Alcott
Jason B. Bell (Member) born Beardstown, Illinois, February 12, 1970; admitted to bar, 1995, Kentucky and Indiana. Education: Vanderbilt University (B.A., 1992); University of Louisville (J.D., 1995). Member: Louisville Bar Association; Kentucky and Indiana State Bar Associations; Christian Legal Society. Practice Areas: Insurance Defense; Premises Liability; Civil Litigation.Email: Jason B. Bell
Matthew C. Hess (Member) born Elizabethtown, Kentucky, November 10, 1972; admitted to bar, 1998, Kentucky; 1999, U.S. District Court, Western District of Kentucky; 2000, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Kentucky. Education: University of Kentucky (B.S., Agriculture, 1995; J.D., 1998). Member: Hardin County and Kentucky Bar Associations. Reported Cases: Kentucky Farm Bureau Mut. Ins. Co. v. Thompson, Ky., 1 SW3d 475 (1999); Hardin v. Action Graphics, 57SW3d 844, Ky. App. (2001); James v. Wilson Ky., 95 SW3d 875 (2002); Schwindel v. Meade Co., Ky., 113 SW3d 159 (2003). Practice Areas: Personal Injury; Insurance; Civil Litigation.Email: Matthew C. Hess
ASSOCIATES
Scott D. Laufenberg (Associate) born Madison, Wisconsin, July 26, 1973; admitted to bar, 2000, Kentucky, U.S. Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit and U.S. District Court, Western District of Kentucky; 2004, U.S. Court of Appeals, Seventh Circuit; 2005, U.S. Supreme Court; 2008, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Kentucky. Education: University of Wisconsin at Platteville (B.S., Political Science, 1996); Drake University (J.D., 1999; M.P.A., 1999). Delta Theta Phi. Recipient, CALI Excellence Award in State & Local Government Law, 1998. Editor-in-Chief, Drake Journal of Agricultural Law, 1998-1999. Law Clerk, Kentucky Court of Appeals, 1999-2000. Author: "The Struggle of Cities to Implement the Safe Drinking Water Act in the Context of Intergovernmental Relations," Drake Journal of Agricultural Law, Vol. 3, No. 2; "Representing Repugnant Clients: Every Lawyer's Choice?," GP Solo Magazine, American Bar Association General Practice, Solo and Small Firm Division, Oct./Nov. 2005. Adjunct Professor, Management, Western Kentucky University, 1999. Member: Bowling Green-Warren County (Board of Directors, 2002, 2004-2006, 2008-2009; Chair, Young Lawyers Section, 2004-2005), Kentucky (Executive Committee, 2008-2009; Board of Governors, 2008-2009; Chair, Young Lawyers Section, 2008-2009; Chair, Civil Litigation Section, 2008) and American (Member, Leadership Advisory Board, Young Lawyers Division, 2009; Communications Director, Young Lawyers Division, 2007-2009; District Representative for District 16, Young Lawyers Division, 2007-2009; Editor in Chief, The Affiliate, Young Lawyers Division, 2006-2007) Bar Associations. Fellow: Kentucky Bar Foundation; American Bar Association Young Lawyers Division; American Bar Foundation. Practice Areas: Appellate Practice; Business Law; Labor and Employment; Municipal Law; Trusts and Estates; Probate; Civil Litigation.Email: Scott D. Laufenberg
Andrea Potter Anderson (Associate) born Bowling Green, Kentucky, August 3, 1981; admitted to bar, 2006, Kentucky and U.S. District Court, Western and Eastern Districts of Kentucky. Education: Western Kentucky University (B.A., 2003); University of Kentucky College of Law (J.D., 2006). Trial Advocacy Board. Member: Bowling Green-Warren County and Kentucky Bar Associations. Practice Areas: Insurance; Insurance Litigation; Litigation.Email: Andrea Potter Anderson
Jeffrey S. Stein (Attorney) born Columbus, Ohio, 1970; admitted to bar, 1995, Kentucky; 2001, Tennessee; U.S. District Court, Western District of Kentucky. Education: University of Pennsylvania, The Wharton School (B.A., 1992); University of Kentucky College of Law (J.D., 1995). Regularly represents:
· Institutional borrowers and lenders in all types of commercial/industrial loan financings and in pre-litigation loan workout negotiations and documentation.
· Buyers and sellers of commercial and industrial real estate properties.
· Lessors and lessees of office, retail and industrial properties.
· Physicians in all types of healthcare-related transactions, including mergers and acquisitions, employment and recruitment matters, and regulatory compliance.
· Business entities and individuals in all types of general business transactions, including choice of entity considerations, mergers and acquisitions, and business and commercial contracts.
Has first-chaired deals totaling upwards of $250 million for both Fortune 500 companies and small businesses, responsible for all loan documentation and collateralization, real estate and asset analysis and documentation, zoning, and environmental compliance. Member, Leadership Bowling Green. Member: Bowling Green-Warren County, Kentucky and American Bar Associations. Practice Areas: Commercial Real Estate; General Business; Corporate Transactions; Banking; Probate Law; Health Care Law.Email: Jeffrey S. Stein
OF COUNSEL
Jeffrey R. O'Grody (Of Counsel) born 1946; admitted to bar, 1971, Kentucky and Florida. Education: Vanderbilt University (B.A.); University of Kentucky (J.D.). Member: Kentucky Bar Association; The Florida Bar. Practice Areas: Personal Injury; Workers Compensation; Social Security Disability; Civil Trial.
S. Frank Smith, Jr. (Of Counsel) born Memphis, Tennessee, 1940; admitted to bar, 1973, Kentucky. Education: Vanderbilt University and Southwestern at Memphis (B.A., 1963); Memphis State University (J.D., 1973). Member: Bowling Green, Warren County and Kentucky Bar Associations. Practice Areas: Probate; Trusts and Estates; Real Estate; Civil Practice.Email: S. Frank Smith, Jr.
Harlan E. "Kin" Judd, III (Of Counsel) born Bowling Green, Kentucky, December 9, 1973; admitted to bar, 2000, Kentucky and U.S. District Court, Western District of Kentucky; 2003, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Kentucky; U.S. Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit. Education: University of London, London, England; Kenyon College (B.S., 1996); Cumberland School of Law of Samford University (J.D., 1999). Member: Bowling Green-Warren County, Monroe County, Cumberland County, Clinton County, Kentucky and American Bar Associations.Email: Harlan E. "Kin" Judd, III
Karl N. Crandall (Of Counsel) born Akron, Ohio, November 13, 1942; admitted to bar, 1967, Kentucky. Education: University of Kentucky (B.A., 1964; J.D., 1967). Phi Delta Phi. Member: Bowling Green, Warren County and Kentucky Bar Associations. Practice Areas: Civil Practice.
James D. Harris, Jr. (Of Counsel) born Tallassee, Alabama. 1943; admitted to bar, 1967, Alabama; 1971, U.S. Supreme Court; 1983, Kentucky and U.S. District Court, Western District of Kentucky; 1987, U.S. Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit; 1997, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Kentucky. Education: University of Alabama (B.A., 1965; J.D., 1967). James D. Harris, Jr. is an attorney with substantial experience negotiating and litigating negligence and product liability cases involving significant damage claims in Federal and State Courts at both the trial and appellate level. He has been active in the fields of general tort law, commercial, contract and construction disputes, and insurance litigation concerning bad faith, coverage questions, and general defense.
Upon graduating from law school at the University of Alabama, Mr. Harris joined in the firm of Harris and Harris in Montgomery, Alabama. He was admitted to practice in Alabama in 1967 and in Kentucky in 1983 when he began to practice in Bowling Green. He was admitted to practice before the Supreme Court of the United States in 1971, and served in the Alabama House of Representatives from 1970 to 1978.
Mr. Harris is a decorated veteran of the Vietnam War, serving as a commissioned offices with the 173 Airborne Brigade in 1967-68. He retired as a Colonel in the Army Reserves in 1995. He is active in civic organizations to include service on the Board of Directors of the Bowling Green Area Chamber of Commerce, Habitat for Humanity of Bowling Green/Warren County and The Salvation Army Advisory Board of Directors. He has been a member of the Civil Justice Reform Act Advisory Group for the United State District Court for the Western District of Kentucky and a member of the Board of Directors for the Western Kentucky Federal County Defender, Inc. Mr. Harris was elected in 2006 to serve as a member of the Board of Governors for the Kentucky Bar Association and, by that Board, to serve on the Judicial Council in 2008. He was recognized by his peers as one of the Kentucky Super Lawyers 2007 and has served by appointment as a Special Justice for the Supreme Court of Kentucky. Member: Bowling Green-Warren County (President), Kentucky and American Bar Associations; Alabama State Bar; Transportation Lawyers Association; Association of Defense Trial Attorneys; Defense Research Institute; Kentucky Continuing Legal Education Commission. [Col., USAR, Ret.]. Practice Areas: General Tort Law; Products Liability Litigation; Commercial Contracts; Construction Disputes; Insurance Litigation; Negligence Litigation.Email: James D. Harris, Jr.
All Members and Associates are members of the Kentucky Bar Association.