Our Attorneys

Garland Hale "Andy" Barr, IV

Area of Practice

Andy concentrates his practice in the areas of civil litigation, real estate, energy, government entity defense, and government relations.

Representative Experience

Representation of businesses, organizations and individuals in personal injury, medical malpractice, premises liability and product liability litigation
Representation of corporate and other business entity clients in a variety of contract, trade practices and employment disputes
Attorney of record and counsel for prevailing party, Ernie Fletcher, in election law appeal to Kentucky Supreme Court, Heleringer v. Brown, 104 S.W.3d 397 (Ky. 2003)
The successful defense of a decision by the Office of the Governor to withhold certain written telephone messages for the Governor in an appeal under the Open Records Act by the Louisville Courier-Journal, resulting in a favorable Open Records Decision published by the Office of the Attorney General (07-ORD-148)
The defense of a declaration of rights action brought by the Attorney General in Franklin Circuit Court challenging the Governor's university board appointments, resulting in the retention of the Governor's appointees on all boards.
Assisted in the defense of the Finance and Administration Cabinet in a First Amendment lawsuit challenging the Cabinet's policy to use a web filtering service on state worker's computers
The review of the Department of Corrections" lethal injection protocol and the trial and lower appellate records of a death row inmate in response to a request by the Attorney General for a gubernatorial death warrant in a case later reviewed by the U.S. Supreme Court on a writ of certiorari
The preparation of an Executive Order directing the lawful exhibition of a "Foundations of American Law and Government Display" in the state Capitol Rotunda in light of a prior order by the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky enjoining the display of a Ten Commandments monument on the state Capitol grounds and recent U.S. Supreme Court and lower federal court precedents governing the constitutional or unconstitutional displays of the Ten Commandments on public property
The interpretation of relevant constitutional provisions and Kentucky Supreme Court precedents relating to the Governor's power to make emergency expenditures in the absence of legislative appropriations
The preparation of a gubernatorial application to the U.S. Small Business Administration for an administrative declaration of disaster arising out of the repairs to the Wolf Creek Dam and the lowering of water levels in Lake Cumberland, resulting in the eligibility of dozens of small employers for economic injury loan assistance
The successful defense of a government employer against a merit system employee fired for sexual harassment during the merit system investigation in an administrative appeal to the Kentucky Personnel Board
The engagement of and collaboration with outside counsel in the defense of a 42 U.S.C. § 1983 action against a state employee in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky arising out of the state merit system investigation, resulting in the dismissal of all claims against the employee, with prejudice
Lead counsel in the successful valuation and liquidation of a multi-million dollar, non-performing revolving loan program for natural gas utilities in eastern Kentucky, involving complex dealings and negotiations with the Economic Development Administration of the U.S. Department of Commerce, the Gas System Restoration and Development Project Account Review Board, the Office of Policy and Audit in the Finance and Administration Cabinet and the Kentucky Public Service Commission, in addition to the engagement of a consulting firm and outside counsel to assert the taxpayers' security interest against competing secured creditors in a Chapter 7 bankruptcy proceeding
The provision of legal advice to local government officials, including Open Meetings Act and Open Records Act compliance, proper filing of uniform financial information reports and county budgets, proper filing of municipal and county ethics ordinances, advice on local government purchasing procedures and state procurement code compliance, counsel on permissible expenditures of public monies, grant agreement compliance, interpretation of the incompatible offices provisions, and the presentation of a seminar for local officials on constitutional issues relating to the public display of religious symbols
The provision of legal services to the Governor's Office for Local Development (GOLD) in connection with the financial oversight and regulation of local governments and the administration and monitoring of multiple federal and state grant and loan programs, including the Local Government Economic Development Fund (LGEDF) program, the Kentucky Infrastructure Authority (KIA) grants and loan programs, the Community Economic Growth Grant program, the Renaissance on Main program, the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program, and grants from the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC), among others.

Professional Background

Member, American Bar Association
Member, Kentucky Bar Association
Member, Public Advocacy Commission
Member, Lawyer's Division of the Federalist Society
Member, 2010 World Equestrian Games Advisory Commission
Executive Committee, Fayette County Republican Party
Board of Directors, Prevent Child Abuse Kentucky
Board of Directors, Lexington Charity Club
Board of Directors, Friends of Isaac Murphy Memorial Art Garden
Graduate, Leadership Lexington, 2007
Member, Leadership Lexington Steering Committee
Member, Lexington Forum
Member, Christ Church Cathedral

Education

J.D., University of Kentucky College of Law, 2001
- Moot Court National Team
B.A., magna cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa, University of Virginia, 1996
- Echols Scholar
- Distinguished Majors Program
- Jefferson Literary and Debating Society