David J. Guarnieri

Born to loving parents, Willard and Virgina Hamblin, with the exception of the military, Pierce lived in his beloved Lexington all of his life. His career can be divided into five parts: Military : upon commissioning as Officer in the Army, Pierce was designated a Distinguished Military Graduate. He proudly served his country as a Captain in the Army. He was the Distinguished Graduate of the Military Intelligence Officer Basic Course provided by the Army for 1977. He was certified both as a T...

David E. Longenecker is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Corporate Governance Law, Corporate Law and Mergers and Acquisitions Law. David E., who practices law in Lexington, Kentucky, has been recognized since 2021. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which David E. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Philip Coleman Lawson was born in Pineville, Bell County, Kentucky, the son of two lawyers. He attended high school at The McCallie School in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Thereafter, he attended Centre College in Danville, Kentucky. While at Centre, he was a member of the Varsity Baseball and Golf Teams while being an active member of his fraternity, Sigma Alpha Epsilon. After a summer internship, at the Washington, D.C. office of former United States Representative, A.B. (“Ben”) Chand...

Richard M. Guarnieri was born in Chicago, Illinois as the second oldest of nine brothers and sisters, three of which have become lawyers as well. When Richard was still a child, his family moved to Frankfort, Kentucky where he was raised and attended Good Shepherd Catholic School and then Franklin County Public Schools until his graduation from Franklin County High School. Throughout his life, he has attended church with his family at Good Shepherd Catholic Church in Frankfort, Kentucky. In h...

Bruce Reynolds is a Member of the firm based in its Lexington office although he advises lawyers located in other offices as to complex tax matters. His practice focuses primarily on taxation and tax related matters, including tax controversies and disputes, business transactions and estate planning for business owners. He also has been involved in numerous disputes involving fiduciary relationships. During his long career with Stites & Harbison, Bruce has assisted many of the firm's larg...

David represents businesses in a variety of complex commercial litigation matters. His litigation practice includes environmental, coal, agribusiness, toxic tort, securities and antitrust matters, as well as all types of business disputes. He also serves many medium and small businesses as outside general counsel. David has previously served in a variety of firm management positions including Partner-in-Charge of the Lexington office and is a member of the firm’s Compensation Committee.

Bennett E. Bayer maintains his own office and his main practice areas are Business Law and Mining Law.

Jeff practices in the areas of estate and wealth transfer planning, including preparing wills, trusts, disability documents and marital agreements; estate and trust administration, including fiduciary representation and tax reporting; and asset protection and closely-held business planning, including family limited partnerships and limited liability companies.

Emily Larish Startsman is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Product Liability Litigation - Defendants. Emily Larish, who practices law in Lexington, Kentucky, has been recognized since 2025. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Emily Larish is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Janet Craig is a seasoned attorney in health care law and regulatory insurance issues. She is experienced in certificate of need and licensure, reimbursement, managed care, fraud and abuse, HIPAA, and Stark I and II. A former General Counsel of the Kentucky Department of Insurance, she has an active regulatory practice. She represents a host of insurers and HMOs on matters ranging from market conduct and financial exams to mergers, change of control and rate filings. Recent Assignments Repres...