(Main Office)

Ward, Hocker & Thornton, PLLC, founded in 1984 in Lexington, Kentucky, is a full-service litigation firm. With offices in Lexington and Louisville, our firm is able to serve the entire state of Kentucky and Southern Indiana. The vast majority of our clients are major insurance carriers, national adjusting companies, self-insured groups, and self-insured companies. As such, we handle the entire spectrum of insurance litigation including claims related to automobile accidents, workers' compensation, products liability, premises liability, municipal liability, toxic tort, state and federal discrimination, labor and employment, fidelity and surety, medical and legal malpractice, and contracts.

Statement of Practice

Civil Litigation including Workers Compensation, Insurance Defense, Medical and Legal Malpractice, Health and Hospital Law, Products Liability, Environmental Law, Toxic Torts, Fidelity and Surety Law. Appellate Practice, Construction Law, Municipal Liability, Employment Law, Administrative Law, Fire and Casualty, Labor Law and Personal Injury Law.

Representative Clients:

Auto Owners Insurance Co.
Bizzack, Inc.
CNA Insurance
Citizens Insurance
Claims Management, Inc.
Coastal Corp.
Consolidated Freightways, Inc.
Constitution State Service Co.
Cooper Tire
Cracker Barrel Old Country Store
Crawford & Co.
Crum & Forster Commercial Insurance
Dana Corp.
Diversco, Inc.
Employers Risk Services
Enterprise Rent-A-Car
Federated Department Stores
Federated Rural Electric Insurance Corp.
Fidelity & Deposit Company of Maryland
Forest Industries Workers' Compensation Fund
Gallagher Bassett Services, Inc.
Gerlig - America
Graward General Cos.
Great American Insurance Cos.
Grove North America
Guidant Insurance Group
The Hanover Insurance Co.
Humana Inc.
Hercules Chemical Co.
ITT Hartford Insurance Group
Indiana Lumbermens' Mutual Insurance Co.
Indiana Insurance
Integon Insurance
John F. Jordan Service Co.
Lexington Insurance Agency, Inc.
Kentucky Employers Mutual Insurance
Maytag Corp.
Mid South Electric, Inc.
Mountain Companies, Inc.
Nacco Materials Handling Group
The Ohio Casualty Group of Insurance Cos.
Olsten Corp.
Overnite Transportation Co.
PNC Mortgage Corporation of America
Progressive Insurance Companies
Reliance Insurance Group
Republic Bank & Trust Co.
Risk Enterprise Management Limited
St. Paul Fire & Marine Insurance Co.
Standard Products Co.
Sumitomo Insurance
Target Stores
Tokio Marine Management, Inc.
Travelers Property Casualty
Underwriters Safety and Claims
United States Fidelity & Guaranty Company
Walmart
The Yasuda Fire & Marine Company of North America
Zurich-American Insurance Group.

Address

World Trade Center
333 West Vine Street, Suite 1100
Lexington, KY 40507, (Fayette Co.)

Phone

Phone: 859-422-6000
Facsimile: 859-422-6001
Call Firm Now

Website

http://www.whtlaw.com

Firm/Affiliate Offices

MEMBERS OF FIRM

Walter A. Ward (Member) born Bowling Green, Kentucky, December 4, 1948; admitted to bar, 1973, Kentucky. Education: Western Kentucky University (B.A., 1970); University of Kentucky (J.D., 1973). Omicron Delta Kappa; Delta Sigma Rho; Tau Kappa Alpha. Member, Moot Court Board. Listed in The Best Lawyers in America, 1997-2007. Member: Fayette County, Kentucky and American Bar Associations. Practice Areas: Workers Compensation; Insurance Defense; Civil Litigation.Email: Walter A. Ward

George B. Hocker (Member) born Kittery, Maine, October 29, 1959; admitted to bar, 1985, Kentucky; 1986, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Kentucky; 1988, U.S. Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit and U.S. District Court, Western District of Kentucky; 1994, Ohio. Education: University of Kentucky (B.S., 1981; J.D., 1985). Law Clerk to Kentucky Court of Appeals, Judge Anthony M. Wilhoit, 1985-1986. Member: Fayette County, Kentucky and American Bar Associations. Practice Areas: Insurance Defense; Construction Law; Dram Shop Liability; School Board Defense; Motor Carrier Defense; Tort Defense; Personal Injury Defense; Negligence Defense; Municipal Defense; Insurance Bad Faith Defense; Products Liability Defense; Premises Liability Defense; Federal Civil Practice; Civil Practice; Unfair Insurance Practices; First and Third Party Insurance Defense.Email: George B. Hocker

Steven D. Goodrum (Member) born Bowling Green, Kentucky, November 8, 1960; admitted to bar, 1987, Kentucky; U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Kentucky; 1990, U.S. District Court, Western District of Kentucky; U.S. Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit. Education: Western Kentucky University (B.A., magna cum laude, 1983); University of Kentucky (J.D., 1987). Member: Fayette County and Kentucky Bar Associations. Practice Areas: Workers Compensation; Insurance Defense; Civil Litigation.Email: Steven D. Goodrum

Gregg E. Thornton (Member) born Fort Thomas, Kentucky, October 14, 1963; admitted to bar, 1988, Kentucky and U.S. District Court, Eastern and Western Districts of Kentucky; 1989, U.S. Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit; 1995, Ohio. Education: University of Kentucky (B.S., 1985); Salmon P. Chase College of Law, Northern Kentucky University (J.D., 1988). Member: Fayette County, Kentucky and Ohio State Bar Associations; Defense Research Institute; Kentucky Defense Counsel (Board of Directors, 2005—). Practice Areas: Insurance Defense; Civil Litigation; Municipal Liability; Products Liability; Medical Malpractice.Email: Gregg E. Thornton

Thomas L. Travis (Member) born Glasgow, Kentucky, October 6, 1961; admitted to bar, 1987, Kentucky; 1988, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Kentucky; 1990, U.S. District Court, Western District of Kentucky. Education: Western Kentucky University (B.A., 1984); University of Kentucky (J.D., 1987). Member: Fayette County and Kentucky Bar Associations. Practice Areas: Civil Litigation; Insurance Defense.Email: Thomas L. Travis

Licha H. Farah, Jr. (Member) born Carlisle, Kentucky, October 13, 1969; admitted to bar, 1994, Kentucky; 1996, U.S. District Court, Western District of Kentucky; 1998, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Kentucky. Education: University of Kentucky (B.B.A., 1991; J.D., 1994). Member: Fayette County, Kentucky and American Bar Associations. Practice Areas: Insurance Defense; Workers Compensation Defense; Real Estate.Email: Licha H. Farah, Jr.

William H. Partin, Jr. (Member) born Richmond, Kentucky, April 30, 1964; admitted to bar, 1989, Kentucky; 1990, U.S. District Court, Eastern and Western Districts of Kentucky; 1993, Tennessee; 1994, U.S. District Court, Middle District of Tennessee. Education: University of Kentucky (B.A., 1986; J.D., 1989). Phi Delta Phi. Member, Moot Court Board. Treasurer, Student Bar Association, 1988-1989. Member: Fayette County, Kentucky and Tennessee Bar Associations. Practice Areas: Insurance Defense; Civil Litigation; Workers' Compensation; Products Liability; General Liability Litigation; Municipal Liability Litigation.Email: William H. Partin, Jr.

Brian H. Stephenson (Member) born Lexington, Kentucky, January 15, 1974; admitted to bar, 1998, Kentucky, U.S. District Court, Eastern and Western Districts of Kentucky and U.S. Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit. Education: Birmingham-Southern College (B.S., 1995); University of Kentucky (J.D., 1998). Member: Fayette County and Kentucky Bar Associations; Kentucky Defense Counsel and Defense Research Institute. Practice Areas: Insurance Defense; Civil Litigation; Commercial Law; Corporate Law.Email: Brian H. Stephenson

W. Bryan Hubbard (Member) born Bristol, Tennessee, October 26, 1975; admitted to bar, 2000, Kentucky. Education: George Mason University (B.A., Government and Politics, 1997); University of Kentucky (J.D., 2000). Member, 1998-1999 and President, 1999-2000, University of Kentucky Moot Court Board. Member: Fayette County and Kentucky Bar Associations. Practice Areas: Workers Compensation; Insurance Defense; Civil Litigation.Email: W. Bryan Hubbard

Melissa A. Wilson (Member) born Ashland, Kentucky, September 8, 1954; admitted to bar, 1996, Kentucky. Education: University of Kentucky (B.N.S., 1976; M.S.N., 1981; B.A., 1992; J.D., 1996). Moot Court, 1994-1995. National Moot Court Team, 1995-1996. Co-Chair, Women's Law Caucus, 1994. Author: "Your Practice and the Law: Terminating Life Support-Who Decides?", Association of Women's Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses, Lifeline, Vol. 1, No. 3, June 1997. Member: Fayette County Bar Association (Member: Board of Governors, 2006-2007; Chair, Women Lawyers Section, 2004; Steering Committee Women Lawyers Section, 1998—); Kentucky Bar Association; Kentucky Justice Association. Practice Areas: Insurance Defense; General Civil Litigation; Family Law; Medical Malpractice; Products Liability; Municipal Liability.Email: Melissa A. Wilson

Donald C. Walton, III (Member) born Boston, Massachusetts, October 11, 1965; admitted to bar, 1998, Kentucky. Education: United States Military Academy (B.S., 1987); University of Kentucky (J.D., 1998). Member: Fayette County and Kentucky Bar Associations. [U.S. Army, 1987-1995; Major, U.S.Army Reserves, 1995—]. Practice Areas: Insurance Defense; Civil Litigation; Workers Compensation.Email: Donald C. Walton, III

ASSOCIATES

Scott C. Wilhoit (Associate) born Louisville, Kentucky, October 19, 1963; admitted to bar, 1989, Kentucky and U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Kentucky; 1990, U.S. District Court, Western District of Kentucky; U.S. Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit; U.S. District Court, Southern District of Indiana. Education: University of Kentucky (B.A., 1985; J.D., 1989). Delta Theta Phi. Member: Louisville, Kentucky and American Bar Associations. Practice Areas: Workers' Compensation; Civil Litigation; Insurance Defense; Civil Rights; Employment Law.Email: Scott C. Wilhoit

Chadwick A. Wells (Associate) born Lexington, Kentucky, June 29, 1974; admitted to bar, 2000, Kentucky; 2001, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Kentucky. Education: Transylvania University (B.A., 1997); University of Kentucky (J.D., 2000). Member: Fayette County and Kentucky Bar Associations. Practice Areas: Insurance Defense; Civil Litigation.Email: Chadwick A. Wells

Frank Miller, Jr. (Associate) born Bowling Green, Kentucky, 1963; admitted to bar, 1988, Kentucky; 1989, U.S. District Court, Eastern and Western Districts of Kentucky; 1993, U.S. Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit. Education: Western Kentucky University (B.A., Government, with honors, 1985); University of Kentucky College of Law (J.D., 1988). Member: Fayette County, Louisville and Kentucky Bar Associations; National Association of Railroad Trial Counsel. Practice Areas: Litigation; Appellate Practice; Government; Insurance Defense; Transportation; Products Liability; Health Care; Health Care Liability; Maritime Law; Railroad Law; Automobile/Motor Vehicle Litigation.Email: Frank Miller, Jr.

James B. Compton (Associate) born Lexington, Kentucky, May 14, 1976; admitted to bar, 2001, Kentucky. Education: Georgetown College (B.S., cum laude, 1998), Salmon P. Chase College of Law, Northern Kentucky University (J.D., 2001). Member: Fayette County, Kentucky and American Bar Associations. Practice Areas: Workers Compensation; Insurance Defense.Email: James B. Compton

James E. Skaggs (Associate) born Hopkinsville, Kentucky, January 25, 1974; admitted to bar, 2001, Kentucky and U. S. District Court, Western District of Kentucky. Education: Murray State University (B.S., 1998); University of Kentucky (J.D., 2001). Member: Fayette County, Kentucky and American Bar Associations. Practice Areas: Workers Compensation; Insurance Defense.Email: James E. Skaggs

Thomas C. Donkin (Associate) born Ann Arbor, Michigan, June 16, 1965; admitted to bar, 2002, Kentucky. Education: Spring Arbor College (B.A., Psychology, magna cum laude, 1992); University of Kentucky (J.D., 2001). Member: Fayette County and Kentucky Bar Associations. [U.S. Marine Corps, 1986-1990]. Practice Areas: Workers Compensation; Insurance Defense.Email: Thomas C. Donkin

R. Johnson Powell (Associate) born Lancaster, Kentucky, January 11, 1970; admitted to bar, 2001, Kentucky; 2004, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Kentucky and U.S.Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit. Education: Transylvania University (B.A. Physics, 1992); University of Kentucky (M.S. Physics, 1994; J.D., 2001). Member: Fayette County and Kentucky Bar Associations. Practice Areas: Workers Compensation; Administrative Law; Civil Litigation; Insurance Defense.Email: R. Johnson Powell

David P. Kaiser (Associate) born Baltimore, Maryland, April 22, 1977; admitted to bar, 2007, Kentucky; U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Kentucky. Education: Denison University (B.A., 1999); University of San Diego School of Law (J.D., 2007). Member: Fayette County and Kentucky Bar Associations. Practice Areas: Insurance Defense; Civil Litigation.Email: David P. Kaiser

James M. Bricken, IV (Associate) born February 20, 1983; admitted to bar, 2008, Kentucky. Education: Asbury College (B.A., History and Applied Communication, 2005); University of Kentucky College of Law (J.D., 2008). Member: Fayette County and Kentucky Bar Associations. Practice Areas: Insurance Defense; Products Liability; Premises Liability; Civil Litigation.Email: James M. Bricken, IV

Ashley K. Brown (Associate) born Salyersville, Kentucky, August 21, 1983; admitted to bar, 2008, Kentucky. Education: University of Kentucky (B.A., Spanish, cum laude, 2005); University of Kentucky College of Law (J.D., 2008). Member: Fayette County and Kentucky Bar Associations. Practice Areas: Civil Litigation; Insurance Defense.Email: Ashley K. Brown

Perry L. Greer, III (Associate) born Lexington, Kentucky; admitted to bar, 2008, Kentucky. Education: Transylvania University (B.A., History, 2005); University of Kentucky College of Law (J.D., 2008). Member: Fayette County and Kentucky Bar Associations. Practice Areas: Insurance Defense.Email: Perry L. Greer, III

Kristin M. Timperman (Associate) born Lexington, Kentucky; admitted to bar, 2009, Kentucky. Education: Eastern Kentucky University (B.S., magna cum laude, 2006); University of Louisville, Louis D. Brandeis School of Law (J.D., 2009). Author: "Kentucky's No Pass - No Drive Statue: Flawed or Flawless?", Journal of Law & Education, January 2009. Member: Fayette County and Kentucky Bar Associations. Practice Areas: Workers Compensation.Email: Kristin M. Timperman

Tyler H. Fields (Associate) born Lexington, Kentucky; admitted to bar, 2009, Kentucky. Education: Bellarmine University (B.A., Accounting, 2006); Salmon P. Chase College of Law (J.D., 2009). Member: Fayette County and Kentucky Bar Associations. Practice Areas: Business Litigation; Commercial Litigation; Insurance Defense; Civil Litigation; Personal Injury; Products Liability.Email: Tyler H. Fields