Stites & Harbison elects three attorneys to Management Committee

LOUISVILLE, Ky.—Stites & Harbison, PLLC recently elected three members to the firm’s six-member Management Committee, replacing three attorneys who completed their terms of service. The new committee members are attorneys Erika Barnes, Carol Dan Browning and Richard Wehrle; the members rotating off the committee include attorneys Janet Craig, Mandy Wilson Decker and Marjorie Farris. The new committee members will serve a two-year term.

Stites & Harbison’s Chair and the Management Committee serve as the firm’s board of directors and are responsible for all matters relating to the management of the firm. Members of the Management Committee are nominated for election by a Nominating Committee drawn from the members of the firm.

Erika Barnes is a Member (Partner) of the firm in the Creditors’ Rights & Bankruptcy and Business Litigation Service Groups based in Nashville, Tenn. She represents creditors and franchisors in bankruptcy cases nationwide. She also has experience representing creditors’ committees and Chapter 11 trustees. Barnes handles complex commercial litigation matters in state and federal courts. She frequently represents lenders in commercial foreclosures and mortgage litigation. Barnes is certified as a specialist in Business Bankruptcy by the American Board of Certification.

Carol Dan Browning is a Member (Partner) of the firm in the Torts & Insurance Practice Service Group based in Louisville, Ky. Browning serves as national or state counsel for multiple drug, medical device and product manufacturers and is involved in multi-district litigation pending in various federal district courts and in coordinated litigation pending in state courts throughout Kentucky. She has tried cases to verdict for pharmaceutical, medical device and product manufacturers in both federal and state court. In addition, she regularly defends companies in pharmaceutical pricing and other civil actions brought by states Attorneys General. She is a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers.

Richard Wehrle is a Member (Partner) of the firm and Chair of the Trusts & Estate Planning Group based in Lexington and Louisville, Ky. His practice includes all aspects of trust and estate administration, handling complex litigation matters involving disputes with the federal and state taxing authorities, controversies between fiduciaries and beneficiaries, as well as domestic relations matters involving complex trust planning. Wehrle’s practice also focuses on estate and gift tax planning, charitable giving, non-profit organizations, probate and fiduciary law. He is also a Certified Public Accountant.