Taft A. McKinstry, Esq.
Practice Areas
Commercial Law
Business Transactions
Litigation
Financial Work-outs
Bankruptcy and Creditors’ Rights
Restructuring
Creditor Representation
Debtor Representation
Creditor Committee Representation
Trustee Representation
Asset Sales
Preference Litigation
Bar Admissions
Kentucky, 1972
US District Court, Eastern District of Kentucky, 1972; Western District of Kentucky, 1999
US Court of Appeals, 6th Circuit, 1979
Supreme Court of the United States, 2004
Education
University of Kentucky, J.D. 1972 – Member, Kentucky Law Journal
University of Kentucky, B.A. 1969
Major: Mathematics
Minor: Business
Sullivan Medallion for Outstanding Graduating Woman
Honors
Martindale-Hubbell, AV Rating
American College of Bankruptcy, Fellow, 1994 – Present
Best Lawyers in America, 1994 – Present
Kentucky Super Lawyers® – 2007 – Present
Taft A. McKinstry is a member and chair of the firm’s Commercial Law Group. She is a leader in the firm’s Bankruptcy and Creditors’ Rights Group, with a current emphasis on out of court workouts. She is also the firm’s managing partner.
With sophisticated experience built on more than 30 years of practice, Taft is known for finding successful solutions in highly complicated commercial, bankruptcy and litigation matters. She represents local and national creditors, debtors and creditors’ committees in a variety of industries including insurance, heavy equipment, equine, coal, oil and gas production, retail and e-commerce. Her appellate experience encompasses numerous published opinions, including cases before the Kentucky Supreme Court and the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals.
Taft’s effective handling of difficult bankruptcy issues is built on her experience from her appointment as Bankruptcy Trustee for the Eastern District of Kentucky from 1972 to 1978, and service on the Chapter 7 Trustee Panel for Kentucky’s Eastern District from 1978 to 1982. She has been recognized in The Best Lawyers in America continuously since 1994.
Professional Associations and Memberships
Taft is a member of the Fayette County and Kentucky Bar Associations, and the American Bankruptcy Institute. Notable professional achievements include her 1994 induction as a Fellow into the American College of Bankruptcy, an honor granted to a select few state attorneys. Taft is a former chair of the Bankruptcy Law Section of the Kentucky Bar Association. She has served on the Merit Selection Committee for the Sixth Circuit U.S. Bankruptcy Judge of the Eastern District of Kentucky, on the Judicial Nominating Committee for the Fayette Circuit and District Courts, and on the Professional Examining Board for Oral Interviewing for Corporate Counsel II for Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government. As a member of the Fayette County Bar Association, she served as a member of the Board of Governors, as its secretary and as co-chair of the Continuing Legal Education Committee.
Presentations and Publications
Taft is a frequent speaker on matters of commercial litigation and bankruptcy law, addressing audiences including attorneys, paralegals, commercial lending officers, loan workout and managed asset personnel. She is a respected lecturer for continuing legal education seminars including the Kentucky Bar and Paralegal Conventions. She has authored forms published by Colliers Bankruptcy Forms and the University of Kentucky Bankruptcy Law Seminar.
Attorney Announcements
Fowler Measle & Bell PLLC Recognized as Best Law Firm & Best Lawyers 2012
Practicing: Commercial Law (Business Transactions, Litigation, Financial Work-outs); Bankruptcy & Creditors' Rights (Restructuring, Creditor & Debtor Representation, Creditor Committee Representation, Trustee Representation, Asset Sales, Preference Litigation)
