About Us

History

Tracing its origins to 1832, Stites & Harbison is one of the oldest law practices in the nation, and among the largest law firms in the region.

Our Practice Includes:

  • Nine fellows of the American College of Trial Lawyers
  • Two fellows of the American College of Trust & Estate Counsel
  • One fellow of the American College of Real Estate Lawyers
  • One member of the American College of Mortgage Attorneys
  • Three fellows of the American College of Construction Lawyers
  • One fellow of the American College of Equine Lawyers
  • Two attorneys certified in business bankruptcy by the American Board of Certification
  • Five fellows of Litigation Counsel of America
  • Three fellows of the Construction Lawyers Society of America (CLSA)
  • Two fellows of the International Academy of Trial Lawyers
  • One fellow of the American Board of Criminal Lawyers (ABCL)

Vital Statistics:

  • Stites & Harbison has more than 185 attorneys across its footprint. Our firm's attorneys are currently admitted to practice in 19 states and the District of Columbia; 16 are Registered U.S. Patent Attorneys.
  • Stites & Harbison has offices in Louisville, Lexington, Frankfort, and Covington, Kentucky; Jeffersonville, Indiana; Nashville, Memphis and Franklin, Tennessee; Atlanta, Georgia; Cincinnati, Ohio; and Alexandria, Virginia. Our offices are networked and function seamlessly through use of the latest technology.
  • In 1999, Stites & Harbison joined with two highly regarded and well-established practices. The firm created its Atlanta office in May 1999 by merging with Varner, Stephens, Humphries, & White. On Jan. 1, 2000, Stites & Harbison merged with Kentucky's premier intellectual property practice, Wheat, Smith, & Beres PLC.
  • On Jan. 1, 2001, Stites & Harbison teamed with the highly respected Nashville firm of Farris, Warfield & Kanaday, giving the expanded firm a regional footprint in four contiguous states and offices in three state capitals, two of the South's money centers, and the region's most dynamic economies. And effective Jan. 1, 2004, the firm merged with the well- regarded intellectual property firm of Larson & Taylor increasing its number of registered patent attorneys.
  • Stites & Harbison is managed by a Chairman elected by the Membership, and a Management Committee of six other members elected for two-year staggered terms by and from the members at large.
  • Reporting to the Management Committee are an Executive Director, committees of members and associates for Professional Personnel, which includes Recruiting and Professional Development groups, Marketing, Planning, Investments and Ethics.

Former or Deceased Members of the Firm:

  • A United States Attorney General
  • A Chief Judge of the Kentucky Court of Appeals (now Supreme Court)
  • Numerous federal and state trial court and appellate judges
  • Two Governors, a Lieutenant Governor and two Attorney Generals of Kentucky
  • A Master Commissioner of the United States Supreme Court
  • A past President of the Kentucky Bar Association
  • A past president of the American College of Trial Lawyers