Attorneys
- Trenton Adkins
- Stephen Amato
- Kenton Ball
- Jason Bentley
- Alec Betz
- Jaron Blandford
- Keeana Boarman
- Colin Buckner
- William Carroll
- Kevin Chlarson
- Mitchel Denham
- Victoria Dickson
- Katherine Donnelly
- Cynthia Effinger
- Mark Fenzel
- James Frazier, III
- Lee Garlove
- David Guarnieri
- Mary Haggin
- Katy Harvey
- Lisa Hinkle
- William Hoback
- Sherry Hurley
- David Kellerman
- R. Miles Lee, III
- Blaine Lewis
- Alan Linker
- Douglas Logsdon
- Ed Monarch
- Anne-Tyler Morgan
- Luke Morgan
- T. Neal Morris
- Shane O'Bryan
- Bruce Paul
- Mari-Elise Paul
- Alan Pauw
- Phillip Pearson
- Emily Penn
- Ameena Khan Per
- W. Brent Rice
- Peter Rosene
- Ivan Schell
- Scott Schuette
- Jack Seiffert
- Christopher Shaughnessy
- Emily Shepard
- Robert Watson
- Jack Wheat
- Luke Wingfield
- Jon Woodall
- Preston Worley
- Brendan Yates
- Katherine Yunker
McBrayer PLLC proudly celebrates another year of growth and achievement, with a record-breaking 54 attorneys honored in the 2026 editions of Best Lawyers in America® and Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch®.
In the Lexington office, honorees include Stephen G. Amato, Kenton L. Ball, Jason Bentley, Jaron P. Blandford, Keeana Sajadi Boarman, James H. Frazier III, David J. Guarnieri, Mary Estes Haggin, Lisa English Hinkle, Virginia L. Lawson, Douglas T. Logsdon, Anne-Tyler Morgan, Daniel Luke Morgan, W. Brent Rice, Christopher J. Shaughnessy, Luke A. Wingfield, Jon A. Woodall, Preston C. Worley, Brendan R. Yates, and Katherine K. Yunker.
In the Louisville office, recognition was given to Kevin Chlarson, Mitchel Denham, Cynthia L. Effinger, Mark S. Fenzel, Lee K. Garlove, Bill A. Hoback, Sherry Hurley, David J. Kellerman, Blaine Lewis, Alan Linker, Ed Monarch, Shane O’Bryan, Bruce B. Paul, Mari-Elise Paul, Alan D. Pauw, Ivan J. Schell, Robert T. Watson, and Jack A. Wheat.
This year, Jon A. Woodall earned the prestigious “Lawyer of the Year” distinction, reserved for a single attorney in each practice area and location, in Land Use and Zoning Law in Lexington, Kentucky.
McBrayer is honored to be Top-Listed in Lexington for Real Estate Law, with five attorneys recognized—the highest number of honorees in this practice area of any firm featured in Best Lawyers in America®.
For attorneys in their first decade of practice, Best Lawyers® highlights Ones to Watch. In Lexington, honorees include returning recipients Victoria Dickson, T. Neal Morris, Scott Schuette, and Emily Shepard, joined this year by first-time honorees Colin Buckner, Katherine M. Donnelly, and Emily D. Penn. In Louisville, returning honorees are William G. Carroll, Katy Harvey, Ameena Khan Per, Peter Rosene, and Jack Seiffert, with first-time honorees Trenton D. Adkins, Alec Betz, R. Miles Lee III, and Phillip A. Pearson.
“We are honored to once again exceed our previous record for the number of McBrayer attorneys recognized in Best Lawyers in America,” said Managing Member James H. Frazier III. “This distinction underscores our unwavering commitment to excellence and to fostering a team of highly skilled attorneys whose dedication to the profession consistently delivers exceptional results. We look forward to continuing to advance the interests of our clients and communities with the highest level of service.”
In the 2026 edition, McBrayer attorneys were recognized across a wide range of practice areas, including Administrative / Regulatory Law, Appellate Practice, Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law, Business Organizations (including LLCs and Partnerships), Civil Rights Law, Commercial Litigation, Construction Law, Corporate Law, Criminal Defense, Education Law, Employment Law, Energy Law, Health Care Law, Intellectual Property Law, Labor and Employment, Land Use and Zoning, Litigation, Medical Malpractice, Mergers and Acquisitions, Municipal Law, Natural Resources Law, Personal Injury Litigation, Product Liability Litigation, Professional Malpractice, Real Estate Law, Tax Law, Trademark Law, Trusts and Estates, and Utilities Law.
Since its first publication in 1983, Best Lawyers in America® has become universally regarded as the definitive guide to legal excellence. Its annual lists are based on an exhaustive peer-review evaluation, with more than 116,000 leading lawyers worldwide eligible to vote and over 17 million evaluations submitted on the legal abilities of their peers.
