Lexington, Kentucky
Partner
phone (859) 254-9351
fax (859) 233-9769
Contact Bill

In a career spanning more than 30 years, Bill Garmer has had extensive courtroom and appellate experience. Not only has he secured many successful settlements and verdicts for his clients, many of his successful cases have led to groundbreaking decisions. In Hilen v. Hayes (1984), as the plaintiff's attorney, Bill earned a victory before the Kentucky Supreme Court, leading to the adoption of Comparative Fault in Kentucky. Additionally, as the plaintiff's attorney in Williams v. St. Claire Medical Center (1983), Bill's successful argument in the Kentucky Court of Appeals led to the decision recognizing both the doctrine of apparent agency of independent contractors in hospital cases and the independent liability of hospitals for failing to follow their own rules and regulations. As a plaintiff's lawyer, Bill is dedicated to protecting the rights guaranteed to every citizen by the Constitution. Most recently, Bill was one of five attorneys selected to the trial team to represent the passengers of Comair Flight 5191, which crashed on takeoff from Lexington, Kentucky in August 2006.

Bill holds a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) from the University of Kentucky. After serving four years in the U.S. Air Force, he attended the University of Kentucky College of Law where he earned his Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree in 1975. After being admitted to the Kentucky Bar in 1975, he worked for two years as a Law Clerk to Hon. B.T. Moynahan, Jr., Chief Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky.

Bill is a member of a number of prestigious professional organizations, and has held influential positions within these organizations. He is a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers and of the Roscoe Pound Foundation. He is a member of the American Bar Association; the American Association for Justice, where he has served as Chair and Vice Chair of the Council of State Presidents and is currently on the Board of Governors; the Kentucky Bar Association; the Kentucky Bar Foundation; the Kentucky Justice Association, where he has served as President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer, and is presently on the Board of Governors; the Trial Lawyers for Public Justice; and the Southern Trial Lawyers Association. In addition to his professional memberships, Bill has received outstanding recognition within the legal community. In 1998, he was the recipient of the Kentucky Justice Association's Trial Lawyer of the Year Award. Martindale-Hubbell rates him AV*, the highest rating an attorney can receive. He has also been listed in the publication Who's Who in American Law since 1991, and in The Best Lawyers in America since 1987. He has been an adjunct professor at the University of Kentucky College of Law in litigation skills since 1981 and in healthcare law since 2003. He also has been a guest lecturer in Continuing Legal Education programs in Kentucky and around the United States.

Bill served on Active Duty in the United States Air Force as a Staff Sergeant from 1969 to1973. He is an Elder in the First Presbyterian Church of Lexington, Kentucky, and has served as a Board Member of both the Opportunity Workshop in Lexington and the University of Kentucky College of Law Alumni Association. He was chairman of the Kentucky Democratic Party in 2004, and is a member of the Melvin Belli Society.

Year Joined Organization:

• 1984

Areas of Practice:

• Auto/Truck Accidents
• Birth Trauma
• Business Tort
• Commercial Litigation
• Dangerous Drugs/Medical Devices
• Employment Discrimination
• Federal Tort Claims
• Insurance Law
• Libel and Slander
• Medical Malpractice
• Mining Accidents
• Nursing Home Litigation
• Personal Injury
• Premises Liability
• Products Liability
• Whistleblower
• Wrongful Death

Bar Admissions:

• Kentucky, 1975
• U.S. Court of Appeals 6th Circuit
• U.S. Supreme Court, 1979

Education:

• University of Kentucky College of Law, Lexington, Kentucky, 1975
  • J.D., Doctor of Jurisprudence
• University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky, 1968
  • Bachelor of Arts (B.A.)

Published Works:

• Post Sales Duties/Continuing Duty to Warn
• Monograph on Medical Malpractice, University of Kentucky College of Law, 1991
• Design Defect Cases in Kentucky

Representative Cases:

• Hilen v. Hays, 673 S.W.2d 713 (Ky. 1984)
• Williams v. St. Claire Medical Center, 657 S.W.2d 590 (Ky.App. 1983)

Classes/Seminars Taught:

• Adjunct Professor of Law, Litigation Skills, University of Kentucky, 1981 - Present
• Adjunct Professor, Healthcare Law, University of Kentucky, 2003 - Present
• Guest Lecturer, Continuing Legal Education Programs

Honors and Awards:

• "The Best Lawyers in America", 1987 - Present
• "Who's Who in American Law", 1991 - Present
• Fellow, American College of Trial Lawyers
• Recipient, Kentucky Academy of Trial Attorneys' Trial Lawyer of the Year Award
• AV Rated by Martindale-Hubbell

Professional Associations and Memberships:

• American Bar Association
• American Association for Justice, Board of Governors
• Kentucky Bar Association, Litigation Committee
• Kentucky Bar Foundation
• Kentucky Justice Association, President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer
• Kentucky Justice Association, Board of Governors
• Trial Lawyers for Public Justice
• Southern Trial Lawyers Association
• University of Kentucky College of Law Alumni Association, Board Member
• Melvin Belli Society
• Kentucky Democratic Party, Chairman, 2004

Past Employment Positions:

• Chief Judge Bernard T. Moynahan, United States District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky, Law Clerk, 1975 - 1977
• United States Air force, Staff Sergeant, 1969 - 1973

Fraternities/Sororities:

• Phi Delta Phi
• Sigma Chi