Pierce Willard Hamblin

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 Tactical Intelligence Officer, and a Counterintelligence Officer. He earned a degree in Military Law from the University of Virginia College of Law. Thereafter, he served as a Judge Advocate for an Army Training Brigade. In 2015, Pierce was inducted into the Army ROTC Hall of Fame.

Professor of Law: For over 40 years, Pierce served as an Adjunct Professor of Law at the University of Kentucky College of Law. He taught a course in Trial Work and Trial Tactics known as Litigation Skills to senior law students. He also taught a law course in Negotiation and Mediation. He saw this law school administration as one of the “great passions” in his life – “It was important to teach 40 years’ worth of kids to be good lawyers, but more importantly to be good people.” For his service, two rooms in the newly remodeled University of Kentucky Law School have been permanently named after Pierce.

Practice of Law: Pierce’s career has primarily been as a Civil Trial Lawyer focused on Insurance Litigation of Products Liability, Automobile cases and Medical/Legal Litigation. He has served as a Special Master at the Order of Kentucky Courts in Mass Tort Litigation in Eastern Kentucky. He has defended multiple insurance companies in Bad Faith Litigation in Kentucky as lead Council. For his litigation work and practice in the area of trial practice, Pierce has received the following:

• Top 50 Kentucky Super Lawyers Award since 2009;
• Top 10 Super Lawyers for a number of years;
• Recognition by his peers as a Best Lawyer in Kentucky for decades;
• Recognition by his peers as a Best Lawyer for Mediation in Lexington, Kentucky for 2014, 2016, 2020, 2022, and 2024;
• Inducted into the University of Kentucky College of Law Hall of Fame in 2006;
• Awarded the Kentucky Bar Association Service to Young Lawyers Award in 2013;
• Designated the Distinguished Lawyer of the Year Award by the Kentucky Bar Association for Kentucky in 2006;
• Elected President of the Fayette County Bar Association in 2014;
• Accepted the Henry T. Duncan Award in 2023 which is the highest honor the Fayette County Bar can award to an attorney whose integrity and leadership exemplify the high ethical standard of the legal profession;
• Elected by fellow members of the Kentucky Bar to be a full member of the Judicial Nominating Commission for the Kentucky Supreme Court and the Kentucky Court of Appeals in 2024.

Mediation/Arbitration: In 2006, Pierce took a chance and entered the relatively new field of mediation and arbitration. It was a move that became important. To date, Pierce has mediated over 10,000 alternative dispute cases. This became a regular part of his practice. He was a charter member of the National Academy of Distinguished Neutrals from Kentucky since 2010.

His key beliefs are:

• Never give up;
• Don’t hesitate to try something different or imaginative during negotiations;
• Never mislead any of the parties to a mediation;
• Lawyers should have a good handle on the law and the facts before a negotiation;
• Always explain to parties the difference between “legal value” of the case versus the “human value” of the case.

Family: The most vital role of Pierce’s life came from being a husband and a father. He and his wife, Sandy, have three children, Walker, Rebekah, and Rachel, and one granddaughter, Madelyn. His love for his family is on display in his office where you will find an abundance of photos. His wife’s life taught him about love, courage, and kindness. His kids lives taught him about the best there is – “family”.