Brian Butler
A trial attorney, Brian Butler has tried over 100 jury trials. Most recently, Brian had his own firm where he handled high-profile criminal defense cases, including white collar cases, in United States District Courts in Kentucky and Indiana as well as in state trial courts throughout Kentucky and Indiana. He is intimately familiar with complex federal investigations including those involving corporations and their employees. Before entering private practice, Brian served as an Assistant United States Attorney for the Western District of Kentucky where he prosecuted a variety of federal crimes. Prior to joining the United States Attorney’s Office, Brian was a supervisor at the Commonwealth Attorney’s Office in Louisville where he primarily prosecuted high-profile homicide cases. Brian started his legal career as a United States Navy Judge Advocate where he served as both a prosecutor and defense attorney.
Brian’s success as a trial attorney has been widely-reported including being the subject of a front page profile piece by the Louisville Courier-Journal. He routinely serves as a legal analyst for Louisville television stations and the Louisville Courier-Journal. He served for many years as an adjunct professor for trial advocacy at the University of Louisville and a guest trial advocacy instructor at the National Advocacy Center in Columbia, South Carolina. He has conducted numerous trial focus groups on behalf of civil litigants. In 2021, he was appointed by the federal bench in the Western District of Kentucky to be the Criminal Justice Act panel representative in connection with indigent defendants obtaining quality legal representation in United States District Court.
Brian is a Fellow with the American College of Trial Lawyers (ACTL) and a Fellow with the American Board of Criminal Lawyers (ABCL).
Jack Harlow dismissed from lawsuits over fatal nightclub shooting on Derby Eve 2021
by Jason Riley, WDRB.com, April 24, 2025
Judge faults Breonna Taylor's boyfriend for shooting death, clears 2 Louisville offices of felony charges
by Danielle Wallace, Fox News, August 25, 2024
Felony charges dismissed against 2 former Louisville officers charged in the Breonna Taylor raid
by Paradise Afshar and Dalia Faheid, CNN, August 23, 2024
Federal judge dismisses most serious charges against 2 officers involved in Breonna Taylor raid
by Jason Riley, August 22, 2024
Key federal charges dropped against former LMPD officers behind Breonna Taylor warrant
by Josh Wood, Rachel Smith and Lucas Aulbach, Louisville Courier Journal, August 22, 2024
Tinker, Kennedy et al. v. Vibes Nightclub, et al. Successfully represented celebrity musician and actor Jack Harlow in three lawsuits, including a wrongful death lawsuit, stemming from a shooting inside Vibes Nightclub in Louisville during a Kentucky Derby event in 2021.
United States v. Kyle Meany. Louisville Metro Police Officer Kyle Meany was charged with allegedly violating Breonna Taylor’s civil rights by approving an allegedly fraudulent search warrant resulting in her death. After extensive pretrial litigation and motion practice, the Court granted our motion to dismiss by reducing the most serious charge carrying a potential life sentence to a misdemeanor.
Commonwealth v. David Owen. Our client was a health care worker at Owensboro Hospital who was charged with sexually assaulting a patient during an EEG examination. In a high profile trial, our client was acquitted of all charges. Click here to view the local news story.
Commonwealth v. James Mallory. Mr. Butler was hired by a major American corporation to represent Mr. Mallory in a death penalty case. He was selected as counsel in the first case in the United States in which this corporation assisted a criminal defendant. Mr. Mallory’s case had been pending for nine years without a trial. The case involved complicated forensic science and nearly every hot button criminal justice issue. After a year of litigation, we were able to resolve this death penalty case for reduced charges whereby our client will be released in approximately two to five years.
Commonwealth v. English. We represented Mr. English, a security officer, at the request of his employer, Baptist Healthcare. Mr. English was originally charged with assault in the second degree, criminal mischief in the first degree and unlawful imprisonment in the second degree concerning an incident at Baptist Hospital involving an unruly visitor. Mr. English was acquitted of all charges in a jury trial.
Louisville Office Recruiting Committee, Co-Chair
University of Notre Dame Law School
Harold Weber Award for Oral Advocacy
Dean's List
National Moot Court Team
University of Kentucky
Brian started his legal career as a Judge Advocate General with the United States Navy (1995-98). He then joined the Commonwealth of Kentucky Attorney's office (1999-2004) as Assistant Commonwealth Attorney and Chief of a General Trial Unit where he prosecuted and tried numerous murder cases while also supervising multiple prosecutors and staff as Chief of the General Trial Unit (2002-04); prosecuted crimes against children and domestic violence cases (1999-2001); and was selected to serve as adjunct faculty at the National Advocacy Center in Columbia, South Carolina, where he taught trial advocacy to prosecutors from every jurisdiction in the U.S. (2000-04). Brian then joined the United States Attorney's Office (2004-06) as Assistant U.S. Attorney where he prosecuted federal crimes including drug trafficking, Title III (wiretap) cases, firearms cases, violent crimes and numerous other federal crimes; successfully tried multiple jury trials; redrafted and assisted in implementing the U.S. Attorney's Office's policy for selecting and prosecuting gun crimes and served as the Gang Crimes Coordinator for the Western District of Kentucky. After leaving the public defense practice, he was a Member of Dathorne & Butler (2007-20) where he was a successful trial attorney. Brian has served as a legal expert for local television and print media.
Martindale-Hubbell® AV-Preeminent® Peer Review Rated
Best Lawyers in America®, Commercial Litigation; Product Liability Litigation - Defendants (2023-25)
Kentucky Super Lawyers® (2012-25)
Louisville Magazine, Top Lawyers
Recipient of two Navy Achievement Medals for litigation success as a United States Navy JAGC
Bingham Fellows, Class of 2022




Kentucky Super Lawyers Honors 47 Stites & Harbison Attorneys for 2025
The 2025 edition of Kentucky Super Lawyers recently honored 47 Stites & Harbison, PLLC attorneys in the Covington, Frankfort, Lexington and Louisville, Ky., offices. The publication named 34 attorneys to the Super Lawyers list and 13 attorneys to the Rising Stars list.
Brian Butler Inducted as Fellow of American College of Trial Lawyers
Stites & Harbison, PLLC attorney Brian Butler was inducted as a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers (ACTL) on September 28, 2024, at the Annual Meeting in Nashville, Tenn. ACTL is composed of preeminent members of the Trial Bar from the United States and Canada.
Stites & Harbison, PLLC Lawyers Named to 2025 Best Lawyers® Publications
Stites & Harbison, PLLC is pleased to announce that 97 of its lawyers are included in the 2025 edition of The Best Lawyers in America®. Since it was first published in 1983, Best Lawyers® has become universally regarded as the definitive guide to legal excellence according to the publication. Additionally, 12 Stites & Harbison attorneys are named as “Lawyer of the Year” and 30 attorneys are recognized in Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch® in America, which recognizes attorneys early in their careers for outstanding professional excellence in private practice in the United States.
Kentucky Criminal Law Update: Navigating Legislative Changes and Legal Trends
Time: 12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m.
WEBINAR
Brian Butler will be a speaker at the Louisville Bar Association's seminar covering the latest updates in criminal law for the Commonwealth of Kentucky on April 18, 2024.
Brian Butler Elected Fellow of American Board of Criminal Lawyers
LOUISVILLE, Ky.—The American Board of Criminal Lawyers (ABCL) recently elected Stites & Harbison, PLLC attorney Brian Butler as a Fellow. He is one of only five Fellows in Kentucky.
Kentucky Super Lawyers® Honors 49 Stites & Harbison Attorneys for 2024
LOUISVILLE, Ky.—The 2024 edition of Kentucky Super Lawyers® recently honored 49 Stites & Harbison, PLLC attorneys in the Covington, Frankfort, Lexington and Louisville, Ky., offices. The publication named 35 attorneys to the Super Lawyers® list and 14 attorneys to the Rising Stars® list.
Stites & Harbison, PLLC Lawyers Named to 2024 Best Lawyers® Publications
LOUISVILLE, Ky.—Stites & Harbison, PLLC is pleased to announce that 101 of its lawyers are included in the 2024 edition of The Best Lawyers in America®.
Reevaluating Your Company’s Compliance Program
The United States Department of Justice’s Criminal Division (“Division”) announced a new program—called the Compensation Incentives and Clawbacks Pilot Program (“program”)—that will shift the burden of corporate financial penalties away from shareholders and onto culpable corporate employees.