Shannon “A.J.” Singleton
Member , Lexington KY
A.J. is a Member of Stoll Keenon Ogden’s Lexington office and has been with the firm since 2000. He is part of the Business Litigation practice, concentrating on Business Torts and Trust & Estates. He served as the firm’s Deputy General Counsel from 2007 to 2018, when he became the firm’s General Counsel.
Among the many highlights of A.J.’s litigation experience is his work on behalf of a bank trustee client under the Kentucky Uniform Trust Code’s fee-shifting provision.
In addition to his representation of financial institutions, A.J. handles dispute resolution for individuals and corporate clients throughout Kentucky.
A.J.’s successes as a litigator are complemented by his substantial expertise in legal ethics and professional responsibility. He advises law firms and individual lawyers facing the breakup of their firms or lawyer departures and he provides counsel to attorneys and law firms being sued by their former law partners.
A.J. is a frequent lecturer on law industry issues, including conflicts of interest, client confidentiality, attorney-client privilege, law firm advertising and risk management, and law firm departures.
Whether consulting with clients or speaking to attorneys, A.J. employs a combination of diplomacy and strategic thinking—skills that stem from his lifelong passion for history, especially military history. He draws on these strengths to provide clients with well-rounded advice that addresses their immediate concerns and helps them plan for the future.
Business Litigation: A.J. represents individuals and companies in shareholder derivative actions and a range of other matters with significant procedural intricacies. He also provides counsel to fiduciaries in trust and estate lawsuits.
Education
University of Washington School of Law, 1996, J.D.
Furman University, 1993, B.A., summa cum laude
Kansai University of Foreign Language Osaka Japan, 1991
Experience
Admitted In
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Georgia
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Georgia Court of Appeals
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Georgia Supreme Court
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Kentucky
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U.S. Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit
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U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Kentucky
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U.S. District Court, Northern District of Georgia
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U.S. District Court, Western District of Kentucky
Professional & Community Activities
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American Bar Association, Member; Business Law Section Professional Responsibility Committee, Chair; ABA Standing Committee on Ethics and Professional Responsibility, Special Advisor; ABA Business Law Section’s Council, Member
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Kentucky Bar Association, Ethics Committee
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State Bar of Georgia
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Fayette County Bar Association
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Georgia Legal History Foundation
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Henry Clay Memorial Foundation, past President and Chair, Emeritus Board Member
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Kentucky Civil War Round Table, Board Member
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Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government, Ethics Commission, Chair
Accolades
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AV® Preeminent™ Peer Review Rated by Martindale-Hubbell®
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Best Lawyers in America®: Commercial Litigation, 2021-present
Seminars
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- Legal Ethics for the Business Law Practitioner, 19th Biennial Business Associations Law Institute, University of Kentucky
Rosenberg College of Law, Speaker, 2023 - Who Is the Client? And Other Legal Ethics and Risk Management Questions Your General Counsel Hopes You Can Answer or Know to Ask, American Bar Association, Business Law Section’s Annual Meeting, Panelist, 2022
- Ethical Issues for the Employment Lawyer: 2022 Legal Ethics Update, University of Kentucky 18th Biennial Employment Law Institute, Panelist, 2022
- Judicial and Lawyer Ethics in a Virtual Court, American Bar Association, Judicial Division Annual Meeting, Panelist, 2022
- CLE: A Deeper Dive – Who is the Client? The Ethics Rule Implications for In-House Counsel and Outside Counsel, ABA Business Law Section’s 2022 Hybrid Spring Meeting, Presenter, 2022
- Who is the Client? Ethics Issues in Structuring Start-ups and Representing Early-Stage Companies, ABA Business Law Section Annual Meeting, Presenter, 2021
- Hooray for Hollywood, Horses, and Lawyers! – The Sequel – How Ethical Are Lawyers, 35th Annual National Conference on Equine Law, The University of Kentucky College of Law, Presenter, 2021
- Legal Ethics, “SKO U” CLE Legal Ethics for In-House Counsel, Presenter, 2021
- New Ethical Developments in the Practice of Transactional Law: Diversity and the Duty to Inquire, Program Chair, LLC Institute, American Bar Association, 2020
- Ethics in Leadership: Setting the Tone from the Top to Instill a Culture of Service and Professionalism, Presenter, Section of Business Law, American Bar Association, 2020
- Ethical Issues with Respect to Law Firm Ownership and Ancillary Practice, Program Chair, Section of Business Law, American Bar Association, 2019
- Legal Ethics and Technology: Technology May Change, But Your Obligations Under the Rules of Professional Conduct Remain the Same, National Bar Association, John Rowe Chapter, Panelist, 2019
- Who’s Who: Ethics for In-House Counsel, Association of Corporate Counsel, Speaker, 2019
- Ethics Rules and Recent Updates on Informed Consent to Waive Conflicts, Prospective Waivers, Screening Procedures, and Outside Counsel Guidelines, ABA Business Law Section Spring Meeting, Vancouver, British Columbia, 2019
- Ethics and Conflicts in Transactional Practice: Winter is Coming, panelist, American Bar Association Business Law Webinar CLE, 2018
- Ethical issues for the Employment Lawyer, panelist, The University of Kentucky’s 15th Biennial Employment Law Seminar, 2016
- Navigating the Ethical Maelstroms When the Law Firm Ship is Going Down, panelist, American Bar Association “In the Know” webinar, 2016
- Paladins on Practical Ethics, co-presenter, Bell Tower National Mock Trial Tournament, Furman University, 2016
- Navigating Ethical Maelstroms When the Law Firm Ship is Going Down, panelist, ABA 2015 LLC Institute, 2015
- Safeguarding Your Client’s Data, co-presenter, Kentucky Bar Association Annual Convention, 2015
- Conflicts, Waivers and Engagement Letters, presenter, Fayette County Bar Association Annual 2-Hour Ethics CLE, 2015
- Ethics and Due Process Issues in Kentucky Land Use Matters, panelist, 4th Annual Kentucky Commercial Real Estate Conference, Louisville Bar Association, 2014
- Ethical Issues for the Employment Lawyer, panelist, The University of Kentucky 14th Biennial Employment Law Seminar, 2014
- When Good Cases/Clients Turn Bad, Kentucky Bar Association’s 2013 Annual Convention, 2013
- Hot Topics in Professional Ethics: Competence, Confidentiality, Conflicts, and Candor, panelist, 34th Annual Institute, Energy and Mineral Law Foundation, 2013
- Accounting Ethics: Integrity, Honesty, Objectivity and Independence, Kentucky Society of Certified Public Accountants, CPE presentation, 2013
- Legal Ethics for the Business Law Practitioner, 19th Biennial Business Associations Law Institute, University of Kentucky
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