“She found the change order we’d all forgotten about. That one page took a third off what they said we owed.”
Octavia R.
Civil litigation in Louisville
Your side of the dispute, argued from the record
Merritt Kinkead represents owners, companies and individuals on either side of a contract, partnership, property or construction lawsuit, in court and in arbitration.
Sample matters
Three disputes, and where each one landed
$186,000
Settlement, unpaid supply contract
A millwork shop owed for two years of cabinet orders. The buyer settled the week before trial.
2025 · Sample matter
Gross figure, before the firm’s fee and court costs.
Dismissed
Lease buyout claim against a restaurant owner
A former landlord sued over an early exit. The court granted summary judgment on every count.
2024 · Sample matter
One ruling on one lease; another lease reads differently.
$62,500
Arbitration award, departing LLC member
Two founders of a landscaping company split. The arbitrator set the price of the member’s share.
2024 · Sample matter
Award before fees; each side paid its own costs.
Invented sample matters, shown to illustrate the work. Past results don’t guarantee a similar outcome; each dispute turns on its own contract, evidence and court.
The practice
One lawyer, and she reads every page
Kinkead Law is Merritt Kinkead and a paralegal, in an office on Fourth Street. The lawyer you meet first is the one who drafts the complaint or the answer, takes the depositions and stands up in court.
She takes plaintiffs and defendants alike. What matters is whether the documents support your side, and she’ll tell you plainly if they don’t.
Who she represents
Owners of small and family companies
Contractors, subcontractors and property owners
People in business with a partner or relative
How she works
Four claims, each with a matter behind it
Short promises are easy to make. Here is each one next to a sample matter that shows what it means.
- Sample matter · Contract
The contract gets read before the complaint gets filed.
A Jeffersontown HVAC installer was sued for leaving a job half done. The subcontract required written notice first, and none had been sent. The claim was withdrawn within two months.
- Sample matter · Ownership
A fair settlement beats a long trial.
Two cousins who co-owned four duplexes in Fern Creek stopped speaking. A mediated buyout closed in five months, with no trial date ever set.
- Sample matter · Construction
When it won’t settle, it gets tried.
A Highlands homeowner sued over a foundation that cracked in its first year. The builder’s expert had never been inside the house, and the jury heard that.
- Sample matter · Advice
You hear early if a case isn’t worth it.
A café owner wanted to sue a former manager over a supplier list. After one meeting the advice was a letter, not a lawsuit, and the letter was enough.
From clients
Said once the file was closed
A few words from past clients, shared with their permission. Every client’s dispute is different, and none of these predicts how yours will end.
“I expected to be talked into suing. She talked me out of it, and sent a letter that got me paid.”
Bernadine S.“Every month I got a page saying what happened, what came next and what it had cost so far.”
Wes H.
Bring the contract, the emails and the dates
A first meeting is an hour, at the office or by video. You’ll leave knowing what each side can prove and what the next step would cost.