Attorneys

Member

Walter S. Robertson

Lexington, KY

859-226-2354

Walt Robertson is a member of the Business & Corporate Services Group. He represents clients in all matters of business including commercial lending, mergers and acquisitions, corporate finance, securities regulation and equine law.

Capabilities

Practice Areas

Business Services

Corporate Finance & Securities Offerings

Corporate General Services

Data Center Service Group

Entrepreneurial Services

Equine Practice

Financial Institutions

Gaming

Hemp and Medical Cannabis

Mergers & Acquisitions

Public Private Partnerships (P3)

Sports & Entertainment

Recent News, Articles & Speaking Engagements

UPDATE: FinCEN and Treasury Department Announce They Will Not Enforce CTA Despite March Deadline

with Edward H. Burrell III, William M. Joseph (Bill), Rachel Owsley and Alison M. Zeitlin,

Stites & Harbison Client Alert, March 6, 2025

UPDATE: Corporate Transparency Act Back on as Potential Changes Loom

with Edward H. Burrell III, William M. Joseph (Bill), Rachel Owsley and Alison M. Zeitlin,

Stites & Harbison Client Alert, February 20, 2025

Future of the Corporate Transparency Act is Uncertain

with Edward H. Burrell III, William M. Joseph (Bill), Rachel Owsley and Alison M. Zeitlin,

Stites & Harbison Client Alert, December 5, 2024

New Directors Elected to Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance Board

by staff writer, Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance Newsletter, December 20, 2023

Group Ownership Issues in the Equine Industry

Speaker, 37th Annual National Conference on Equine Law, Lexington, KY, May 3-4, 2023

with Alison M. Zeitlin

Brass Tacks: Legal Services

Global Entrepreneurship Week 2019, Lexington, Kentucky, November 18, 2019

with Andrew R. Jacobs

Equine Sales and Use Tax

UK Equine Law Seminar, Lexington, Kentucky, May 3, 2018

Chapter: Business Combinations: Non-Tax Considerations

Kentucky Corporation Law, 3d ed. (2018)

with Robert M. Beck Jr.

Issues For International Sale of Goods

UK Equine Law Seminar, (presentation and paper), Lexington, Kentucky, May 4, 2017 with Robert M. Beck Jr.

Graduate and Professional Education

2017 Equine Summit: Developing Tomorrow's Equine Workforce, University of Kentucky AG Equine Program, Lexington, Kentucky, April 26, 2017

2016 Equine Law Update

Horsing Around Equine Update, Kentucky Society of CPAs, Lexington, Kentucky, October 19, 2016

Legal issues applicable to equine transactions

Horsing Around Equine Update, Kentucky Society of CPAs, November 4, 2015

Securities Laws Issues Applicable to Horse Racing Syndicates

15th Annual Saratoga Institute on Equine, Racing & Gaming Law Conference, Saratoga Springs, New York, August 11, 2015

The Nexus between Securities Law and Equine Law Practices

28th Annual National Conference on Equine Law, Lexington, Kentucky, May 1, 2013 with David E. Longenecker

Negotiation Tactics: How to Negotiate So You Don't Lose Your Shirt at the Races

University-Industry Demonstration Partnership (UIDP) Annual Meeting, Lexington, Kentucky, October 2012

The Thoroughbred Auction Process from Start to Finish

26th Annual National Conference on Equine Law, Lexington, Kentucky May 4, 2011

The Essential Elements of an Equine Sales Contract—From A to Z

The 24th Annual National Conference on Equine Law, Lexington, Kentucky, 2009

A Day in the Life—Who Are Our Clients and What Legal Issues Arise Every Day for Them

The 22nd Annual National Conference on Equine Law, Lexington, Ky., 2007

Recent Assignments

Serves as counsel to multiple banks and lending institutions in asset-backed financing transactions.

Serves as counsel to industry leader in Thoroughbred racing partnerships.

Serves as counsel to start-ups and other early-stage companies in capital raising and other corporate organizational matters.

Represented the seller in the sale of assets of a regional food service business.

Represented the buyer in the purchase of assets of an international agricultural products business.

Represented the seller in the sale of assets of a nationally recognized wood turning business.

Represented buyers and sellers in the purchase, sale and syndication of Thoroughbred stallions that have won multiple Kentucky Derbies, Preakness Stakes, the Belmont Stakes, Breeders’ Cup races, the Dubai World Cup and other Grade I races.

Represented the buyer in the acquisition of a specialty alloy fabrication and equipment intergration services business.

Represented the buyer in the acquisition of a systems integration business.

Represented the buyer in several accounting firm acquisitions and mergers.

Represented the seller in the sale of a commercial security, fire and life safety business.

Represented the seller in the sale of a software business.

Represented the buyer in the purchase of a pharmacy business.

Represented the seller in the sale of a manufacturing business.

Represented the seller in the sale of a construction services business.

Represented the founder in the restructure of a medical services business.

Bar Admissions

Kentucky

Firm Leadership

Opinions Committee, Chair

Audit Letter Response Committee, Member

Business Acceptance Committee, Member

Lexington Office Recruiting Committee, Member

Escrow Committee, Chair

Management Committee, Member (2018-21)

Memberships

American Bar Association

Kentucky Bar Association

,

Equine Law Section, Chair

Fayette County Bar Association

Thoroughbred Club of America

Community Involvement

Kentucky Horse Park Foundation, Board of Directors

Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance, President; Board of Directors (2025-present); Executive Committee, Secretary (2018-22)

University of Kentucky National Conference on Equine Law, Planning Committee

Leadership Kentucky, Class of 2015

Education

J.D.,

2006

University of Kentucky College of Law

B.B.A., Finance,

2001

Minor in History

University of Kentucky

More Than Stites & Harbison

Walt has a lifetime of experience in multiple breeds of the equine industry. Prior to practicing law, he worked as a bloodstock agent for a leading commercial agency specializing in the sale of Thoroughbred horses at public auction and as a bid spotter and announcer for several horse auction companies. During college, he worked on a Thoroughbred horse farm in New Zealand.

Walt is an Adjunct Professor at the University of Kentucky where he teaches Equine Law in the College of Agriculture.

Accolades

Best Lawyers in America®, Banking & Finance Law; Commercial Finance Law; Corporate Law; and Mergers & Acquisitions Law (2018-25)

Best Lawyers in America®, Lexington Area Lawyer of the Year for Banking and Finance Law (2023)

Kentucky Super Lawyers®, Rising Star (2015-18)

Contact Resources

Walter S. Robertson's PDF Walter S. Robertson's Contact VCF

See more related to Walter Robertson

Client Alerts

UPDATE: FinCEN and Treasury Department Announce They Will Not Enforce CTA Despite March Deadline

There is yet another update with respect to the Corporate Transparency Act (the “CTA”). Less than two weeks after the U.S. Treasury Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (“FinCEN”) set a new deadline for CTA compliance, both FinCEN and the U.S. Department of Treasury issued separate press releases announcing their intent to...
by Edward H. Burrell III, William M. Joseph (Bill), Rachel Owsley, Walter S. Robertson and Alison M. Zeitlin

March 06, 2025

Client Alerts

UPDATE: Corporate Transparency Act Back on as Potential Changes Loom

Compliance with the Corporate Transparency Act (the “CTA”) is no longer voluntary. Businesses subject to the CTA, which includes the majority of entities formed or registered to do business in the United States, will have until March 21, 2025, to file their beneficial ownership information reports with the U.S. Treasury...
by Edward H. Burrell III, William M. Joseph (Bill), Rachel Owsley, Walter S. Robertson and Alison M. Zeitlin

February 20, 2025

Press Releases

Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance Elects Walter S. Robertson as President of Board of Directors

LEXINGTON, Ky.—Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance recently elected Stites & Harbison, PLLC attorney Walter S. Robertson as President of the Board of Directors. He has been active in the organization since 2018. Robertson is a Member (Partner) based in the firm’s Lexington, Ky., office. His practice focuses on equine law, commercial finance,...
by Stites & Harbison, PLLC

January 15, 2025

Client Alerts

Future of the Corporate Transparency Act is Uncertain

With the January 1, 2025, deadline for beneficial ownership information filings pursuant to the Corporate Transparency Act (the “CTA”) for entities formed prior to 2024 rapidly approaching, Judge Amos L. Mazzant III of the US District Court for the Eastern District of Texas preliminarily enjoined the enforcement of the CTA...
by Edward H. Burrell III, William M. Joseph (Bill), Rachel Owsley, Walter S. Robertson and Alison M. Zeitlin

December 05, 2024

Press Releases

Stites & Harbison, PLLC Lawyers Named to 2025 Best Lawyers® Publications

Honorees Include 12 as “Lawyer of the Year,” 98 in Best Lawyers in America® and 31 in Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch® in America LOUISVILLE, Ky.—Stites & Harbison, PLLC is pleased to announce that 98 of its lawyers are included in the 2025 edition of The Best Lawyers in America®....
by Stites & Harbison, PLLC

August 16, 2024

Press Releases

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®. Since it was first published in 1983, Best Lawyers® has become universally regarded as the definitive guide to legal excellence according to the publication....
by Stites & Harbison, PLLC

August 24, 2023

Events

37th Annual National Conference on Equine Law

Date: May 3, 2023 -

May 4, 2023

Marriott Griffin Gate Golf Resort & Spa, 1800 Newtown Pike, Lexington KY 40511

Presented by the University of Kentucky Rosenberg College of Law Sponsored by the American College of Equine Attorneys, Dean Dorton, KBA Equine Law Section, Robson Forensic and U.S. Equestrian. PROGRAM OBJECTIVE The objective of this conference is to convey an understanding of current legal issues affecting breeding, buying, selling, ownership...
by Walter S. Robertson and Alison M. Zeitlin

March 30, 2023

Press Releases

Stites & Harbison, PLLC Lawyers Named to 2023 Best Lawyers® Publications

LOUISVILLE, Ky.—Stites & Harbison, PLLC is pleased to announce that 98 of its lawyers are included in the 2023 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....
by Stites & Harbison, PLLC

August 18, 2022

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