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Gary C. Johnson

Partner
Kentucky personal injury lawyer

Gary C. Johnson has been representing plaintiffs in personal injury cases for over forty years.

In 1993 he founded Gary C. Johnson, P.S.C. which currently has fourteen attorneys based at four Kentucky offices in Pikeville, Lexington, Louisville, and Hazard. The firm’s Lexington injury lawyers also provide services in other Kentucky, Georgia, South Carolina, Indiana, and West Virginia locations.

Gary and his firm are listed in the Martindale-Hubbell Bar Register of Preeminent Lawyers and he has been named a Kentucky Super Lawyer every year since its inception.

In 2008, the Kentucky Justice Association awarded Gary the Peter Perlman Outstanding Trial Lawyer of the Year Award for his work as an advocate for the rights of the people and his service as a mentor to young lawyers in the state. As a Lexington accident attorney, he has tried cases before juries in Kentucky, Georgia, and West Virginia.

Gary has obtained numerous multimillion-dollar jury verdicts and settlements for injured over his long and distinguished career, including the largest personal injury jury verdict of any lawyer in the state of Kentucky.

He has written the book Winning the Unwinnable Case: Key Techniques for Every Trial, published by Trial Guides, as well as contributed his years of research on trial strategies to Reptile: The 2009 Manual of the Plaintiff’s Revolution, considered to be “the book” for the modern approach to jury persuasion.

Gary has also developed a unique and effective litigation strategy, which he’s termed “Judo Law.” Here, he adopts the defendant’s own arguments and turns those arguments to his client’s advantage. Like a martial arts master, the Judo Law practitioner uses his opponent’s own weight to throw them off balance. The modern-day plaintiff’s lawyer is the nimble master, while the defendant’s insurer is the colossus brought down.

Gary devotes most of his time to the day-to-day practice of law. His firm’s practice consists entirely of representing plaintiffs injured by vehicular negligence, product liability, and medical malpractice. In the last few years, however, he has devoted some of his time to the education of other trial lawyers. He has presented seminars for the Kentucky Bar Association, Kentucky Justice Association, and the American Association of Justice on trial strategy and how to maximize damages in your case.

Finally, Gary continues to educate the public with his media broadcasts, including his podcast Simply the Law of Life, a forum to encourage daily happiness and quality of life.

  • areas of practice
    • Personal Injury - Plaintiffs
    • Motorcycle Accidents
    • Crossing Accidents
    • Workplace Accidents
    • Mine Site Accidents
    • Construction Accidents
    • Explosions and Electrocution
    • Slip and Fall Claims
    • Gall Bladder Surgery and Common Bile Duct Injury
    • Birth Injuries
    • Claims Involving Prescription Drugs or Medical Devices
    • Head injury, Concussion, and Brain Damage
    • Neck and Back Injury
    • Leg and Knee Injury
    • Burn Injuries
    • Mass Torts
  • litigation percentage
    • 100% of Practice Devoted to Litigation
  • certified legal specialties
    • Gary C. Johnson is Board Certified in Civil Trial Advocacy by the National Board of Trial Advocacy
  • bar admissions
    • West Virginia, 1994
    • Kentucky, 1973
    • U.S. District Court Eastern District of Kentucky
    • U.S. District Court Southern District of West Virginia
    • U.S. Court of Appeals 6th Circuit
    • U.S. Court of Federal Claims
  • Education
    • University of Kentucky College of Law, Lexington, Kentucky, J.D. - 1973
    • Berea College, Berea, Kentucky, B.A., Major: Mathematics - 1969
  • Published Works
    • Eighth Highest Verdict Nationwide, Lawyers Weekly USA and National Law Journal, 2002
    • Recently published a chapter on Judo Law in "Reptile in the Mist"; by David Ball and Don Keenan
  • Classes/Seminars Taught
    • 360 Advocacy: Auto, Truck, Damages Extravaganza (June, 2023)
    • 2019 Primerus Personal Injury Institute Winter Conference: Overcoming the Tribal Divide, La Romana, Dominican Republic (March 2019)
    • 2019 Blockbuster Seminar: Ideas, Tactics and Techniques to Win, Colorado Trial Lawyers Association (CTLA), Denver, CO (January 2019)
    • AAJ 2018 Think Tank Webinar Series: Judo Law in Car Crash Cases Featuring Gary Johnson, American Association for Justice, (October 2018)
    • AAJ 2017 Annual Convention, American Association for Justice, Boston, MA (July 2017)
    • Legends Seminar, Kentucky Justice Association, Lexington, KY (June 2017)
    • Auto Crash Litigation 4.0, 360 Advocacy Institute, Las Vegas, NV (April 2017)
    • Staying A Step Ahead of the Rest, Nuts & Bolts of Car Crashes, 2016 Annual Convention, Colorado Trial Lawyers Association, Denver, CO (August 2016
    • 58th Annual Convention and Seminar, West Virginia Association for Justice, Charleston, WV (June 2016)
    • The ABC’s of MVA Litigation, Kentucky Justice Association, Lexington, KY (May 2016)
    • Auto Crash Litigation 3.1, 360 Advocacy Institute, Las Vegas, NV (April 2016)
    • Kentucky Justice Association: 2015 Annual Convention – How to Win at Trial, (September 2015)
    • How to Develop and Win an Auto Case, Kentucky Justice Association, (May 2015 & June 2015)
    • 2015 Annual Convention, Ohio Association for Justice, (May 2015)
    • American Association for Justice Education's Jazz Fest Seminar, Trucking Litigation, New Orleans, LA (April 2014)
    • From Smoke and Mirrors to Smoking Guns in Your Auto Cases, Arkansas Trial Lawyers Association (November 2013)
    • The Art and Practice of Judo Law: Skewering the Defense on It's Tactics, Annual Convention, West Virginia Association for Justice, Charleston, WV (June 2013)
    • The Art and Practice of Judo Law: Skewering the Defense on It's Tactics , Annual Convention, West Virginia Association for Justice, Charleston, WV (June 2012)
    • Last Chance CLE Conference: Louisiana Association for Justice, New Orleans, LA (December 2012)
    • Judo Law Seminar, Indiana Trial Lawyers Association, Indianapolis, IN (November 2012)
    • Judo Law Webinar, (November 2012)
    • MIST Seminar, Atlanta, GA (August 2012)
    • Trial Guides Damage Seminar, Los Angeles, CA (November 2011)
    • Trial Advocacy College: Damages with David Ball, American Association for Justice, Atlanta, GA (September 2011)
    • Insurance Settlement and Mediation Summit, "Common Defense in Auto Cases and How to Handle Them,", 360 Advocacy Institute, Las Vegas, NV (September 2011)
    • Annual Convention, Kentucky Justice Association, Louisville, KY (September 2011)
    • Conditions are Essential in an Auto Case, Montana Trial Lawyers Association 2011 Convention, Big Sky, Montana (August 2011)
    • Coding the Big Truck Case, Litigating Truck Collision Cases: Rules, Reptile, & Experts, American Association for Justice, Atlanta, GA (May 2011)
    • Preexisting Conditions and the Reptile in MIST and Other Cases Teleseminar. (Replay with live question and answers.) , American Association for Justice (February, 2011)
    • Preexisting Conditions and the Reptile in MIST and Other Cases Teleseminar, American Association for Justice (November, 2010)
    • Preexisting Conditions and the Reptile in MIST and Other Cases Teleseminar, American Association for Justice (November, 2010)
    • Embracing the Pre-Existing Condition: How to Utilize the Presence of Pre-Existing Conditions to Enhance Case Value., West Virginia Association of Justice 51st Annual June Convention and Seminar, Charleston, WV (June 2009)
    • Trucks: Making the Most for Your Clients, Kentucky Justice Association (KJA), Louisville, Kentucky (June 2009)
    • 2009 AAJ Winter Convention (Gary spoke on pre-existing conditions), American Association for Justice (AAJ), New Orleans, Louisiana (February 2009)
    • How to Become a Rainmaker: Kentucky Lawyer Strategies for Marketing and Client Development, Kentucky Bar Association Annual Convention, Lexington, KY (June 2008)
    • How to Ask for Compensatory and Punitive Damages in Closing, Auto Damages, Kentucky Justice Association, Louisville, KY (May 2008)
    • Mediation as Trial Prep and Framing the Case for Trial: No Stone Unturned: Getting Justice for the Auto Wreck Client, Kentucky Justice Association, Lexington, KY (May 2007)
    • Prove It or Lose It: Causation in Auto Litigation, Kentucky Justice Association (formerly KATA), Bowling Green and Lexington, KY (April 2005)
    • Prove It or Lose It: Causation in Auto Litigation, Kentucky Justice Association (formerly KATA), Bowling Green and Lexington, KY (May/June 2004)
    • Demonstration of Opening Statements, ATLA National Convention (now AAJ), Montreal, Canada, (July 2001)
  • Honors and Awards
    • Selected to the KY Super Lawyer list for the 14th consecutive year, and he was also on the list for the Top 50 Attorneys in Kentucky
    • Kentucky's Top 50 Trial Lawyers, Kentucky Monthly Magazine Super Lawyer Edition, 2007 & 2008
    • Best Lawyer In The Valley, 2007
    • Bar Register of Preeminent Lawyers, Martindale Hubbell - AV Rated
    • Peter Perlman Outstanding Trial Lawyer of the Year Award, Kentucky Justice Association, 2008
    • Received Super Lawyer Award, 2008 - Present
  • Professional Associations and Memberships
    • Pike County Bar Association, Member
    • Kentucky Bar Association, Member
    • Kentucky Bar Foundation, Life Fellow
    • American Bar Association, Member
    • Kentucky Justice Association, Member
    • American Association for Justice, Member
    • Roscoe Pound Institute, Member
    • Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, Member
    • Million Dollar Advocates Forum, Member
    • Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum, member
    • Kentucky County Attorney's Association, Former President
    • Governing Task Force of Child Support, Former Member
    • 31st Legislative District, Former Kentucky State Senator, 1996 - 2000
    • State Democratic Majority Caucus, Former Chair
    • Martindale Hubbell AV Rated
    • National Trial Lawyers Association Top 100 Trial Lawyers
Awards + Memberships