Kent Barber

Kent Barber brings 15 years of legal experience in sophisticated corporate and financial transactions to EMWN. Kent holds a distinguished rating from Martindale-Hubbell with a Very High Rating in Both Legal Ability and Ethical Standards and has been selected as a Super Lawyer from 2020-2023 and was a Super Lawyer Rising Star from 2013-2018. Prior to EMWN, Kent served as a judicial law clerk to the Honorable Joseph M. Scott, Jr., Bankruptcy Judge, Eastern District of Kentucky, and practiced at a bankruptcy boutique firm, and then founded Barber Law PLLC, where he focused on business and litigation matters, specifically, commercial real estate, bankruptcy, bankruptcy litigation, insolvency-related transactions, creditors’ rights, and general business law.  His clients range from individuals and single-member LLCs to global publicly traded companies. 

​

Kent has experience representing individuals and businesses facing financial uncertainty and distress. His practice ranges from both consumer and commercial bankruptcy, debt restructuring, debtor and creditor relations, and bankruptcy litigation across a wide range of industries.  He represents clients from the initial stages of pre-bankruptcy planning through bankruptcy litigation, and his clients including debtors-in-possession, creditors’ committees, secured and unsecured creditors, lessors, contract parties and trustees in all chapters of bankruptcy. He has represented Chapter 7 panel trustees, Chapter 11 trustees and state court-appointed receivers and has represented both plaintiffs and defendants in bankruptcy litigation including, but not limited to, nondischargeability proceedings, lien avoidance,  and has prosecuted and defended hundreds of preferential and fraudulent transfer cases. Kent has also written numerous bankruptcy-related articles and spoken on the topic of bankruptcy.
 
He has served either as lead counsel or co-counsel in, among other cases, In re Galleria of St. Matthews, LLC (litigation counsel for Chapter 7 Trustee); In re The Lyons Companies, LLC (litigation counsel to Chapter 7 Trustee); In re Integrity Carbon Solutions, LLC et al (counsel for Debtors and Debtors-in-Possession); In re Americore Holdings, LLC (litigation counsel to Chapter 11 Trustee); In re ST Drive, LLC f/k/a SunTech Drive, LLC (counsel for purchaser); In re Inmet Mining, LLC (counsel for major lessor); In re Coking Coal, LLC (counsel for major lessor); In re CBD Resources, Inc. (counsel for major lessor); In re Hopedale Mining LLC et al. (co-counsel for Committee and counsel for Liquidating Trustee); In re Cambrian Coal, LLC et al. (local counsel for Committee and co-counsel for Liquidating Trustee) In re Licking River Mining, LLC et al. (local counsel for Committee and Chapter 7 Trustee); In re Trailblazers, Inc. (counsel for Committee and Chapter 7 Trustee) and JW Resources, Inc. (co-counsel for Committee and counsel for Liquidating Trustee). All cases were complex bankruptcy cases involving multiple creditor constituencies, sophisticated financing transactions and complex litigation.

Kent also represents national, regional, and community banks with respect to secured and unsecured commercial real estate lending.  He advises clients on issues ranging from resolving title and lien issues, environmental and survey exceptions; drafting all documents necessary to document the commercial real estate transaction to escrow and the closing of the loan.  He also represents private lenders, borrowers, buyers, and sellers in commercial real estate acquisitions, dispositions, lending and leasing.  

Kent represents both large and small businesses across multiple industries in all aspects of their business including business start-up and formation, business acquisitions, corporate governance, contract negotiations, and real estate.