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George D. Smith

Member , Lexington KY

859.231.3070

George D. Smith

Member , Lexington KY

George is a Member of Stoll Keenon Ogden’s Lexington office and has been with the firm since 1999. He is part of the Bankruptcy & Financial Restructuring practice, as well as the Equine and Real Estate practice groups.

Among the highlights of his work at SKO is his success in representing a major secured creditor in a Chapter 9 proceeding, the first substantive filing of its kind in Kentucky.

Before joining SKO, George practiced in commercial litigation. He was also a special fund attorney for the Kentucky Department of Labor and a Hearing Officer for the Kentucky Workers’ Compensation Board.

For his many legal accomplishments, George is listed in the Martindale-Hubbell® and Best Lawyers in America® peer-review publications. Active in the professional community, he holds the position of Secretary for the Equine Law Section of the Kentucky Bar Association.

George is a veteran who served in the U.S. Army Reserve from 1971-1977 and received a discharge at the rank of Staff Sergeant.

Bankruptcy & Financial Restructuring: For community banks throughout Kentucky, George handles all aspects of credit transactions and complex loan workouts. He frequently represents both secured and unsecured creditors in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Chapter 7 and Chapter 11 proceedings.

Equine: Building on an SKO tradition, George assists all types of entities in the equine industry, including thoroughbred and standardbred auction companies, stallion farms, and boarding farms. He has substantial knowledge of equine law, particularly in the area of liens and litigation. He has been called upon to speak at seminars on the matter and routinely shares his expertise with clients and colleagues.

Real Estate: George provides a full scope of services relating to the planning and zoning of commercial real estate. He draws on his experience in banking law to provide a representation of lenders and borrowers in financing real estate transactions and documenting loans.

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Education

University of Kentucky College of Law, 1975, J.D.

University of Kentucky, 1971, B.A.

Experience

Admitted In

  • Kentucky

  • U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Eastern District of Kentucky

  • U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Western District of Kentucky

  • U.S. Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit

  • U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Kentucky

  • U.S. District Court, Western District of Kentucky

Professional & Community Activities

  • American Bar Association

  • Kentucky Bar Association, Equine Law Section, Secretary, 2017-present

  • Fayette County Bar Association

  • CURE KY Kids, Board of Directors

  • First United Methodist Church, Member

Accolades

  • AV® Preeminent™ Peer Review Rated by Martindale-Hubbell®

  • Best Lawyers® 2023 Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights/Insolvency and Reorganization Law “Lawyer of the Year” in Lexington

  • The Best Lawyers in America®, Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights/Insolvency and Reorganization Law, and Real Estate Law, 2019 – present

Work Highlights

  • Commercial Foreclosure

    Represented major regional banks and community banks in foreclosures of office buildings, shopping centers, golf courses, subdivision property, multi-family residential properties, warehouses, manufacturing facilities and others. SKO served as local counsel for the Special Servicer for the Trust in two CMBS loan foreclosure actions one of which involved indebtedness of $31 million dollars secured by a shopping center which was successfully completed in August 2017 and the other involving indebtedness of $17 million dollars secured by a student housing complex and which was successfully completed in May 2018.

Seminars

    • Practical Considerations and Legal Strategies in the Enforcement of Agister’s and Veterinarian’s Liens, 35th Annual National Conference on Equine Law, The University of Kentucky College of Law, Speaker, 2021
    • National Equine Law Conference, 2011
    • Fayette County Bar Association Equine & Business, 2010
    • Kentucky Mortgage Lending Issues and Kentucky Legislative Update, 2008
    • Kentucky Mortgage Lending Issues, 2007
Contact George Today

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