Attorney Profiles

Bill Garmer is one of the founding attorneys of Garmer & O'Brien, LLP. In a career spanning 30 years, he 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 in 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 the doctrine of apparent agency of independent contractors in hospital cases, as well as 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.

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 Doctorate (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, Eastern District of Kentucky.

Bill is a member of many 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 in litigation skills at the University of Kentucky College of Law since 1981 and in Healthcare Law since 2003. He also has been a guest lecturer on 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 1969-1973. He is an Elder in the First Presbyterian Church in Lexington, Kentucky, and has served as Board Member of the Opportunity Workshop in Lexington, and on 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.

*Martindale-Hubbell is the facilitator of a peer review rating process. Ratings reflect the confidential opinions of members of the bar and the judiciary. Martindale-Hubbell ratings fall into two categories -- legal ability and general ethical standards. CV, BV, and AV are registered certification marks of Reed Elsevier Properties Inc., used in accordance with the Martindale-Hubbell certification procedures, standards, and policies.