BSG LAW - Key Persons
Antonio R. Fernandez joined Boehl Stopher & Graves, LLP as an associate in 2021. Antonio focuses his practice on civil trial litigation of matters involving general tort and insurance defense. He also has experience in a number of other practice areas including employment law, administrative law, healthcare law, real estate law and real estate transactions. Antonio is bilingual in English and Spanish.
Job Titles:
- Boehl Stopher & Graves As an Associate
Brad joined Boehl Stopher & Graves as an associate in 2021. Prior to coming to BS&G, Brad was an associate for the firm of Ward Hocker & Thornton, and a staff attorney for Frost Brown Todd. He handles civil trial work, including general insurance defense and claims alleging negligence, premises and products liability, bad faith, surety and indemnity lawsuits and general commercial disputes.
Job Titles:
- Partner
- Member of the Floyd County Bar Association
Mr. Moutardier is a partner in the Firm's New Albany, Indiana office. His primary area of focus includes insurance defense, professional liability defense and worker's compensation defense. Practicing in southern Indiana since 2002, Mr. Moutardier has successfully represented numerous corporations, law firms and other individuals and entities in civil litigation matter.
Mr. Moutardier is currently a member of the Floyd County Bar Association, Indiana State Bar Association and the American Bar Association. He volunteers in his free time as a coach for youth soccer and basketball.
Ed Stopher became a partner with Boehl Stopher & Graves, LLP in 1970 and subsequently a member of Boehl Stopher & Graves, LLP until 12/31/2014. Mr. Stopher is currently an associate with Boehl Stopher & Graves, LLP. He is the former Chair of the Civil Litigation Section.
Mr. Stopher has represented corporate and insurance clients in all federal courts in Kentucky, before the Court of Appeals in Kentucky and the Kentucky Supreme Court, and in most state trial courts throughout Kentucky. He has tried more than 100 civil cases to a verdict and has successfully tried cases to verdicts in Florida, Georgia, and Virginia, as well as Kentucky.
In addition to defending various railroads, airlines and aircraft operators, truckers and trucking firms, gas transmission line operators and various other product liability and negligence cases, Mr. Stopher and the firm have been and are very actively defending insurance carriers in bad faith claims. The overwhelming majority of Mr. Stopher's trial experience is in the defense of corporations and insurance carriers. His trial court experience includes the defense of pharmaceutical-related claims, product liability matters, legal malpractice actions and various negligence matters.
Eddie Jones is a native of Western Kentucky. After graduating law school, Eddie served as a Captain in the United States Army JAG Corp serving with service in both the 2nd Infantry Division and the 101st Airborne Division. Eddie has practiced law in Western Kentucky since 1994 and he has successfully tried over fifty jury trials to verdicts in state and federal courts throughout Kentucky. Eddie joined the Paducah Office of Boehl Stopher & Graves in 2004.
Mr. Carlos' practice focuses primarily on Kentucky Workers' Compensation defense.
Education
Centre College of Kentucky
University of Cincinnati, B.A., 1979
University of Kentucky College of Law, J.D., 1982
Experience
Mr. Carlos has been a partner with Boehl Stopher & Graves, LLP since 1991. Prior to joining Boehl Stopher & Graves in 1984 he worked for the Kentucky Labor Cabinet from 1980 to 1982 as a law clerk and subsequently as an attorney from 1982 to 1984. He has represented a number of insurance companies, Third-Party Administrators and self-insured entities.
Professional Recognition and Memberships
He is a member of the Fayette County Bar Association and the Kentucky Bar Association.
Named "Lawyer of the Year" by Best Lawyers for:
Civil Defense involving bodily injury and property damage litigation and administrative injury claims. Areas include premises liability, automobile liability, products liability as well as workers' compensation claims. In addition, Mr. Cooper is experienced in the evaluation of insurance coverage issues.
Education
Transylvania University B.A., Cum Laude, 1983
University of Kentucky College of Law J.D., 1986
Experience
James B. (Jim) Cooper has been with Boehl Stopher & Graves, LLP in the Lexington, Kentucky office since 1986. He held the position as an associate from 1986 until becoming a partner in 1997. In his twenty-four plus years of practice, Mr. Cooper has defended bodily injury and property damage cases in central, northern and eastern Kentucky. He has been involved in over thirty appellate decisions in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and Federal appellate court systems.
Professional Recognition and Memberships
Mr. Cooper is admitted to practice in the State Courts in the Commonwealth of Kentucky as well as the United States District Courts for the Eastern and Western Districts of Kentucky and the Sixth Circuit of the United States Court of Appeals.
Member, Kentucky Bar Association
Member, Fayette County Bar Association
Mr. Hansford is a partner in the Firm's Indiana office and has been admitted to practice since 1987. Mr. Hansford is admitted to practice before all courts in Indiana as well as the United States District Court for the Southern District of Indiana and the Northern District of Indiana.
Jeremy joined Boehl, Stopher & Graves as an associate in 2019. Prior to coming to the firm, Jeremy was a judicial clerk for Kentucky Court of Appeals Judge, Irvin Maze, and was a summer associate at the firm.
Job Titles:
- Boehl Stopher & Graves As an Associate
Kathryn joined Boehl Stopher & Graves as an associate in 2023. Prior to coming to BS&G, Kathryn was an associate at a defense firm located in Louisville. She handles civil trial work, including general insurance defense and claims alleging negligence, premises liability, and bad faith.
Job Titles:
- National Rifle Association Certified Instructor
Mr. Ooley is an active National Rifle Association certified instructor. He is certified to teach Home Firearms Safety, Basic Pistol, Personal Protection in the Home, Personal Protection Outside the Home, Refuse to Be a Victim and Defensive Pistol. He is also certified by the Second Amendment Foundation Training Division to teach Defensive Handgun. Mike's favorite course to teach is one that he developed jointly with his son entitled "Legal Concepts for Concealed Carry and Self Defense with a Firearm."
Mr. Edwards joined Boehl Stopher & Graves, LLP after graduating from the University of Kentucky College of Law in 1988. Mr. Edwards has tried numerous cases to verdict in state and federal courts and has provided representation in various states including Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, West Virginia, Georgia, South Carolina, Alabama, Tennessee and Virginia.
Mr. Edwards has been listed in Best Lawyers in America since 2005 and Super Lawyers since 2008. He has been included in the Chambers & Partners publication, Chambers, USA as a leader in Kentucky litigation and maintains an AV Preeminent rating from Martindale Hubbell Lawyer Ratings.
Mr. Edwards is a member of the Louisville and Kentucky bar associations and is a graduate of the International Association of Defense Counsel trial academy in Boulder, Colorado. Mr. Edwards has acted as an assistant instructor on trial practice at the University of Louisville Law School. Mr. Edwards is a member of the International Association of Defense Counsel, and International Society of Barristers, He is admitted to practice in all state courts in Kentucky, the United States District Courts for the Eastern and Western Districts of Kentucky, the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals and the United States Supreme Court. Mr. Edwards has lectured in the areas of electronic media, railroad crossing safety, design and manufacturing defect claims as well as clams of bad faith made against insurance carriers.
Bob Stopher focuses on civil trial work with special emphasis on the defense of tort and insurance matters for a variety of corporations and insurers. He has successfully tried over 100 civil cases to verdicts in state and federal courts throughout Kentucky. A lifelong Kentuckian, Mr. Stopher joined the firm in 1977 and became a partner in 1979. He currently serves on the firm's executive committee.
Job Titles:
- Associate With Boehl Stopher & Graves
Mr. Davidson became an associate with Boehl Stopher & Graves in 1998 and a partner in 2005. Licensed in Kentucky and Indiana, his civil litigation practice at the trial and appellate court levels includes areas such as insurance defense, premises liability, automobile and general negligence, automobile no-fault law, asbestos, nursing home, professional (legal and accounting) malpractice, products liability, and landlord-tenant. He has defended companies in the utility, hotel, restaurant, health care, rural lifestyle retail, airline, sporting good and other industries in various types of lawsuits including personal injury, wrongful death, breach of contract, intentional tort, and sexual harassment and discrimination. He also serves as local counsel in the defense of asbestos claims throughout Kentucky against an automobile component manufacturer.
Seth J. Singleton joined Boehl Stopher & Graves, LLP as an associate in 2019. Seth focuses his practice on civil defense litigation involving real estate law, product liability law, premises liability law, professional liability law, employment and labor law, as well as general tort and insurance defense. Seth also has experience in a variety of other practice areas including general and complex business litigation, corporate law and governance, debtor-creditor relations, securities litigation, and real estate transactions.
Prior to joining the firm, Seth worked for a large, nationwide firm specializing in labor and employment law, health care law, premises liability law, product liability law, and general civil defense. During law school, Seth clerked for Judges Thomas D. Wingate and Phillip J. Shepherd of Franklin Circuit Court. He also served as a research assistant for Professor Mary J. Davis ("Owen & Davis on Products Liability" and "Products Liability and Safety"). During his time in business school, Seth acquired practical experience involving business operations, management, finance, ethical environments, and regulatory schemes.
Mr. Rains is an associate in the Firm's Paducah office and is admitted to practice in Kentucky. He previously practiced in the aforementioned areas at firms in Lexington and Louisville before returning home to Paducah. While in law school, he clerked for the international trade firm of Sandler, Travis & Rosenberg, P.A. in their Washington, D.C. office, as well as serving as an intern for the United States Army JAG Corps in Seoul, Korea. He is a proud graduate of Paducah Tilghman High School, an avid UK fan, and enjoys spending time with family and friends, hunting and fishing, sports, and most anything else out of doors.