James Freel is an Associate in Ward, Hocker & Thornton’s Lexington Office focusing on civil litigation defense in a variety of areas including automobile litigation, premises liability and construction defects. His experience includes defending cases at trial, on summary judgment and on appeal. He works with clients in all areas of civil litigation to achieve desirable resolutions.

JD, University of Kentucky, 2017
BA, Political Science, University of Kentucky, 2014

Berea, KY

Kentucky, 2017
U.S. District Court for the Western District of Kentucky, 2019
U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky, 2019

Kentucky Bar Association
Fayette County Association
Defense Research Institute
Kentucky Defense Counsel

“Kentucky Rising Star” by Super Lawyers®, 2023 and 2024

Rhodus V. Brent Ray Homes, LLC, 2022: Jury trial where Plaintiff claimed injury due to general contractor’s failure to provide a safety rail. The case was defended on liability and damages. The jury found no breach of duty by the general contractor and rendered a defense verdict on liability in favor of our client.

Barnett V. Peters, 2020: Jury trial in which liability was admitted, and only causation of the alleged injury was at issue. The jury agreed with our client, awarding damages for only initial treatment which was stipulated by the defense.

Ragle v. Louisville Road Ventures, LLC, 2020: Summary judgment granted for commercial property landlord in slip and fall injury case. Plaintiff appealed and judgment was upheld by the Kentucky Court of Appeals.