Jerome "Jay" Prather

Jay Prather’s work as a trial lawyer at Garmer & Prather has earned him the recognition of his peers, including being named Best Lawyers® 2026 “Lawyer of the Year” in Plaintiffs’ Product Liability Litigation – Lexington. He continues a family tradition of Kentucky legal service and brings a disciplined, trial-focused approach to representing individuals and workers harmed by negligence, unsafe products, or wage-and-hour violations.

Jay has distinguished himself through his work in state and federal courts, including successful arguments before the Kentucky Supreme Court and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. Jay is trial-ready. He has been the lead lawyer in trial in both state and federal court in complex cases involving medical malpractice and truck collisions. He has tried cases involving wrongful death, traumatic brain cases, and many other forms of physical harm. He also serves as lead counsel in wage-and-hour class and collective actions across the Commonwealth.

His peers have consistently recognized Jay’s work. In addition to the 2026 Lawyer of the Year honor, Jay has been included in Best Lawyers® for multiple years, holds an AV-Preeminent® rating from Martindale-Hubbell®, is a fellow of the Litigation Counsel of America, and appears on Super Lawyers’ “Top 50” list of outstanding lawyers in Kentucky – one of just a handful of Plaintiff’s lawyers to receive that honor.

Jay is a graduate of Vanderbilt University and the University of Kentucky David J. Rosenberg College of Law. He is admitted in all state and federal courts in Kentucky, and frequently appears pro hac vice in courts outside Kentucky.

Beyond his litigation practice, Jay serves as an adjunct professor teaching medical liability at the UK College of Law and remains active in many professional and community organizations in Kentucky. Among those, he is a multi-term District Vice President of the Kentucky Justice Association, which represents Plaintiff’s trial lawyers across the state, and is an elder at Crestwood Christian Church in Lexington.