Michael R. Hance

Professional Biography – Michael Hance

Michael Hance was born in Lockport, Kentucky, as the middle child of seven, on a small farm alongside the backwaters of the Kentucky River. At age seven, his family moved to Okolona, where he later graduated from Southern High School, earning Senior of the Year honors. Guided by his parents in the values of hard work, education, and respect for others these values have shaped the foundation of his life and career. From delivering newspapers twice a day at age eleven, to cleaning grocery store floors for a high school teacher, to painting houses to put himself through college, Michael’s work ethic has always defined him.  Michael pursued higher education at the University of Louisville, where he received academic scholarships for both his undergraduate studies and his law degree.

Professional Career and Recognition

Throughout his distinguished career, Michael has become a leader in trial advocacy and an advocate for justice. He has tried and handled over 50 cases resulting in seven- and eight-figure settlements and verdicts, including several landmark cases in Kentucky history. Among his many career highlights:

• In 1981, he was among the first plaintiff’s attorneys in Kentucky to successfully try a medical negligence case — a victory so respected that both the defense attorney and the physician later referred cases to him. 
• Michael was instrumental in litigating a groundbreaking case on behalf of two physicians who had been improperly sued—one of only three successful countersuits in the nation at the time.
• Michael stood with the family of a young girl killed in the tragic Carrollton school bus crash, one of the deadliest bus accidents in U.S. history. The wreck was the result of a negligently designed fuel system by Ford Motor Company.  For Michael and his clients, this case was not about money, but about accountability and justice.  Prior to filing suit, Michael and the family offered to settle the case for $1, if Ford would recall all school buses with the dangerously designed fuel system. When Ford refused to recall its buses, Michael as one of the lead attorneys was able to hold Ford accountable, winning a multimillion-dollar verdict for the family.
• Michael represented the family of a teenager who died following a tonsillectomy. The hospital would not tell the family what happened. The family turned to Michael to learn what happened and hold the people accountable for their son’s death. A multimillion-dollar settlement offer was turned down. The case proceeded to trial resulting in a $9,187,921 verdict which included a $4,000,000 verdict for punitive damages.
• Michael was one of the lead attorneys against a pharmacological company which caused the death of a young mother. Michael was able to successfully argue the drug was unnecessary, unsafe and should never have been on the market. The jury awarded over 19 million dollars.

• Held the City of Louisville responsible for failing to monitor and supervise one of its police officers.  While off-duty the officer shot his ex-girlfriend in the head. The jury verdict exceeded one million dollars.

Michael’s leadership in the legal community is widely recognized. He has served as Past-President of the Kentucky Justice Association (KJA), Past-President of the Louisville Bar Foundation, and on the Board of Governors for the American Association for Justice (AAJ). He has been a frequent guest lecturer at the University of Louisville School of Law, Bellarmine Nursing School and KJA programs.  In addition, Michael has been an invited lecturer to National Medical Organizations.

His professional honors include:

• Outstanding Trial Lawyer Award (2011) – Kentucky Justice Association
• Kentucky Super Lawyers (since 2007)
• AV Preeminent Rating – Martindale-Hubbell
• Top 100 Trial Lawyers – The National Trial Lawyers
• Membership in the American Board of Trial Advocates, American Board of Professional Liability Attorneys, and the Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum
• Notably, is one of only three Kentucky lawyers board certified by the American Board of Professional Liability Attorneys (ABPLA).

He is admitted to practice before the Kentucky Bar Association, U.S. District Courts for the Eastern and Western Districts of Kentucky, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, and the U.S. Supreme Court.

Personal Life

Despite his many professional accomplishments, Michael considers family to be the most important part of his life. He treasures time with his wife, children, their spouses, and especially, his grandchildren.