Hiring a Car Accident Lawyer in Kentucky
The deadline to sue after a crash in Kentucky, how fault is shared, when a crash must be reported, how lawyers usually charge (contingency fees), how to check a lawyer's license, and free help. We do not recommend or rank lawyers.
What a lawyer costs in Kentucky: fee rules
| If you disagree with a lawyer's bill | The Kentucky Bar Association offers Legal Fee Arbitration under Supreme Court Rule 3.810 for disputes between a lawyer and client over the fee for particular legal services. It is free, and panel members are unpaid. It is voluntary: either side may start it, and the other side has 20 days to agree. Once both agree, the panel's award is binding and enforceable under KRS 417.180. |
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| If a lawyer takes your money | The KBA Clients' Security Fund, paid for by Kentucky lawyers' dues, provides discretionary partial restitution to clients who lost money through a Kentucky lawyer's dishonesty, fraud or other unethical conduct (such as theft, embezzlement or conversion) within the attorney-client relationship; malpractice losses are not covered. Caps: $50,000 per claim and $150,000 total per attorney (prorated if claims exceed the cap); only actual financial losses are paid. File no later than two years after you knew or should have known of the dishonesty. There is no fee, and no lawyer may charge to file a claim for you. |
Kentucky rules to know first
| Deadline to sue | In general, a lawsuit for an injury to the person must be filed within one year after the cause of action accrued. For injuries from a motor vehicle accident covered by Kentucky's Motor Vehicle Reparations Act, a tort lawsuit may be filed within two years after the injury, the death, or the date of the last no-fault (basic or added reparation) benefit payment, whichever is later. Motor vehicle rule: https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=45816 |
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| Fault rule | Kentucky uses comparative fault. In tort cases involving fault of more than one party, the jury (or judge) finds the total damages and the percentage of fault of each party, including the injured person, and the award is set according to those percentages. The statute does not bar recovery when the injured person is partly at fault, which is generally described as pure comparative fault. Source: KRS 411.182 |
| When to report a crash to police | A driver in a crash on a Kentucky highway that causes a death, any personal injury (or a known or visible injury), or damage that leaves a vehicle inoperable must immediately notify a law enforcement officer or agency with jurisdiction (or a 911 public safety answering point), if physically able and if they have a working phone or other device. If the driver does not or cannot, the owner or any occupant must make the report. The officer then investigates and files a written report. After hitting an unattended vehicle or property, a driver may meet their duty by notifying the owner, leaving a written note, or filing a report with the local police department (KRS 189.580(2)). Law enforcement agencies send crash reports to the Kentucky State Police within 10 days after investigating (KRS 189.635(4)). Source: KRS 189.635(3); KRS 189.580(6) |
| Minimum car insurance | Kentucky is a no-fault (choice) state. Required liability coverage is at least $25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident for bodily injury and $25,000 for property damage (or a $60,000 single limit), plus basic reparation (personal injury protection) benefits of up to $10,000 per person. Drivers who accept the no-fault system may sue for pain and suffering only if medical expenses exceed $1,000 or the injury involves permanent disfigurement, a fracture, loss of a body member, permanent injury or loss of bodily function, or death. A person may reject the tort limitation in writing on a Department of Insurance form before an accident. No-fault threshold and rejection: https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=30030 |
Find and check a lawyer
| Lawyer referral service | The Kentucky Bar Association does not run a referral service; as a public service it lists regional lawyer referral services that are "not affiliated with the Kentucky Bar Association": Central Kentucky Lawyer Referral Service, (859) 225-8644, weekdays 9 a.m.-4 p.m. (Bourbon, Clark, Fayette, Franklin, Jessamine, Madison, Scott and Woodford counties); Kentucky Lawyer Referral Service, (502) 583-1801, weekdays 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. (Jefferson and surrounding counties, plus several southern Indiana counties); and Northern Kentucky Bar Association Lawyer Referral Services, (859) 781-1525 (Boone, Campbell, Carroll, Gallatin, Grant, Kenton, Owen and Pendleton counties). The KBA also offers a Directory of Kentucky Attorneys. |
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| Check that the lawyer is licensed | The Kentucky Bar Association's Find a Lawyer page (Directory of Kentucky Attorneys) lets the public search for Kentucky attorneys; the KBA also posts a list of currently suspended and disbarred lawyers. |
| Check discipline history or file a complaint | Complaints about Kentucky lawyers go to the KBA's Office of Bar Counsel on its sworn complaint form, which must have a notarized signature; complaints cannot be submitted by phone, email or fax. Use one form per attorney (not a firm), state specifically what the lawyer did or failed to do, list witnesses, and attach copies (not originals) of documents. Complaints are first reviewed to see whether they allege an investigable ethics violation; the complainant is a witness, not a party, and the matter is confidential at this stage under SCR 3.150. To have a form mailed, call (502) 564-3795 ext. 723. Kentucky Bar Association: 514 W. Main St., Frankfort, KY 40601. Attorney discipline: https://kybar.org/For-Members/Office-of-Bar-Counsel/Attorney-Discipline |
Free legal help
| Free legal aid | Kentucky's LSC-funded legal aid organizations give free civil legal help to eligible low-income people by region: Appalachian Research and Defense Fund of Kentucky (AppalReD), Kentucky Legal Aid, Legal Aid of the Bluegrass and Legal Aid Society (Louisville). The Kentucky Bar Association notes, "If you cannot afford an attorney, a legal aid program may be able to help." |
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All legal help in Kentucky · Background guide
Last verified against official sources: October 27, 2026.
How we source this page: each state-specific rule links to the statute, court rule or official government page it comes from. A rule taken from a public copy of a state code (used only where the official code is not freely readable online) is marked as a secondary source. Spot an error? Use the contact page to report it. About our sources
General legal information, not legal advice. Laws change and local rules can differ; check the linked official source or talk to a lawyer about your situation.