WHT Mediations

Resolving Tough Disputes
Outside the Courtroom

After decades of experience in civil litigation, firm members Gregg Thornton, Ashley Brown and Gene Zipperle have opened the Ward, Hocker & Thornton Mediation Center to assist litigants and lawyers in resolving tough disputes. Gregg, Ashley and Gene are trained mediators who understand that mediation is a tool that allows litigants to exercise some control over the outcome of a case in a way that confidentially facilitates voluntary settlement and saves the costs of pursuing a case to trial. The attorneys in our mediation department have handled dozens of jury trials and hundreds of mediations as counsel and are prepared to assist you and your clients in achieving satisfactory resolutions.

The Experience You Need to
Settle Complex Cases

Our Mediation Department facilitates settlement negotiations in all types of personal injury and property damage cases, including motor vehicle accidents, premises liability, product liability, wrongful death, breach of contract, and construction defect cases. Our offices in Louisville and Lexington have videoconferencing technology to allow individuals to participate remotely or in person. Gregg and Ashley are also willing to travel to your office to conduct mediations.

Gregg Thornton

Gregg is a Member in the firm’s Lexington office. He has been a member of the Kentucky Bar Association since 1988 and has tried over fifty cases to verdict since that time. A well-respected attorney with a Martindale-Hubbell AV Preeminent rating, he has been named a Kentucky Super Lawyer every year since 2009 and has been named as a Top 50 Super Lawyer since 2021.

ASHLEY BROWN

Ashley is also a Member in the firm’s Lexington office. She has been a member of the Kentucky Bar Association since 2008 and in that time has had significant first chair jury trial experience. She was honored as Kentucky Defense Counsel’s Trial Lawyer of the Year for 2017. She has a Martindale-Hubbell AV Preeminent rating, and has been named a Super Lawyer rising star since 2016.

Gene Zipperle

Gene is a member located in the firm’s Louisville office. He has been practicing law in Kentucky and Indiana since 1988 and 1989 respectively. Gene completed 40 hours of civil mediation training with the Indiana Continuing Legal Education Forum. He also completed advanced ADR courses at the Strauss Institute for Dispute Resolution at the Caruso School of Law at Pepperdine University. In 2017 Gene completed the Arbitration Fundamentals and Best Practices for New AAA Arbitrators, put on by the American Arbitration Association. He is currently an active arbitrator for NAM (National Arbitration and Mediation). He is an AV Preeminent rated attorney by Martindale-Hubble and has been named as a Super Lawyer since 2013.