R. Benjamin "Ben" Crittenden

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...

John M. Williams is a native of Harlan County, Kentucky, and a partner in Williams, Kilpatrick & True, PLLC, in Lexington, Kentucky. John graduated from the University of Kentucky with a Bachelors of Business Administration in 1984 and received his Juris Doctor from the University of Kentucky in 1987. He is AV© Rated by Martindale Hubbell and is a Kentucky Super Lawyer™ as rated by Thompson Reuters. He represents numerous mineral operators in safety matters before the Federal M...

Melanie J. Kilpatrick is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Administrative / Regulatory Law, Employment Law - Management, Energy Regulatory Law, Litigation - Labor and Employment and Mining Law. Melanie J., who practices law in Lexington, Kentucky, has been recognized since 2020. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Melanie J. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice a...

Warren D. Schickli is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Copyright Law. Warren D., 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 Warren D. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Richard Wehrle is a Member of the firm and is based in the Lexington office. His practice focuses on trusts and estate administration, estate planning and charitable giving, charitable and non-profit organizations, estate and gift taxes, probate, and fiduciary law. He is also a Certified Public Accountant. More Than Stites & Harbison Prior to joining Stites & Harbison, Richard was a partner at Bowles Rice LLP in Lexington, Kentucky, handling trusts and estate planning for eight years....

Mr. Hixson regularly practices and appears in courtrooms across Kentucky. His practice focuses on commercial litigation, coal supply litigation, product liability, and professional liability. Mr. Hixson also has significant experience in motor carrier litigation, and has litigated a wide array of complex and catastrophic injury cases in state and federal jurisdictions. Mr. Hixson's commercial practice involves representing businesses in cases with claims ranging from breach of contract, promi...

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...

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...

Dustyn B. Jones is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Health Care Law. Dustyn B., who practices law in Lexington, Kentucky, has been recognized since 2026. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Dustyn B. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Kim’s practice involves all aspects of commercial real estate development, including acquisitions, dispositions, financing, land use and leasing; mergers, acquisitions and general corporate representation of closely held companies; mineral and natural resources transactions; representing both borrowers and lenders in asset-based lending and other commercial lending matters; secured transactions; and tax increment financing.