Wyatt, Tarrant and Combs

Updated on Apr 25, 2026

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Date founded 1812 No. of attorneys 140+ Major practice areas General practice		Founded 1812 No. of offices 5

Key people Franklin K. Jelsma, Managing PartnerDonald J. Kelly, Partner in Charge - LouisvilleMark Burton, Partner in Charge - LexingtonRobert E. Craddock, Jr., Partner in Charge - MemphisJames C. Bradshaw III, Partner in Charge - Nashville Company type Limited liability partnership Founders Bert T. Combs, Wilson W. Wyatt, John E. Tarrant Profiles LinkedIn Twitter Facebook Google+

267 lee a harkavy of wyatt tarrant combs llp

Wyatt, Tarrant & Combs LLP is one of the largest law firms in the Southeastern United States. Organized into nine service teams and industry-focused practice groups, the firm has five offices in Kentucky, Tennessee, and Indiana. The company originally organized as the law firm of William Christian Bullitt, which opened in 1812.

Practice areas

Wyatt, Tarrant & Combs is a full-service law firm, with lawyers specializing in the following areas of law:

Notable lawyers and alumni

Wilson W. Wyatt, former Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky and Mayor of Louisville, Kentucky

John E. Tarrant, name partner and outside counsel for General Electric in its development of Appliance Park, one of the largest manufacturing facilities in the U.S.

Bert T. Combs, former Governor of Kentucky

Franklin K. Jelsma, Managing Partner and former Chief of Staff for Governor Brereton Jones

Gordon B. Davidson, former Managing Partner at Wyatt, Tarrant & Combs and attorney for the "Louisville Sponsoring Group," a collaboration of business leaders who provided the funding for Muhammad Ali's launch into professional boxing (see Sports Illustrated's "The Eleven Men Behind Cassius Clay")

Dr. Benjamin Hooks, American civil rights leader and former executive director of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)

Frank W. Burke, former Mayor of Louisville, Kentucky

H. Foster Pettit, mayor of Lexington, Kentucky, 1972-1978

Notable clients

Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield

E.I. DuPont de Nemours and Company

Fruit of the Loom

General Electric

Heaven Hill Distilleries, Inc.

Jefferson County Public Schools

JPMorgan Chase & Co.

Pfizer, Inc.

PNC Bank, National Association

Raycom Media, Inc.

Reynolds Packaging Group

Smith & Nephew

Tempur Sealy International, Inc.

Thorntons Inc.

Vanderbilt University

Awards

The Best Lawyers in America® 2014 named 96 of Wyatt, Tarrant & Combs' lawyers in its publication. The firm is also top-listed in 58 practice areas in its Kentucky, Tennessee and Mississippi locations.

Chambers USA, America's Leading Lawyers for Business 2013, named Wyatt a "Leading Law Firm" and 26 of the firm's lawyers as "Leading Individuals" in its publication.

2013 Super Lawyers® (Kentucky and Mid-South editions) named 66 of Wyatt, Tarrant & Combs' attorneys as Super Lawyers and 9 Rising Stars in its publications.

Corporate Counsel Magazine's survey of General Counsel at top 500 companies named Wyatt a "Go-To Law Firm" for labor & employment and litigation matters.

Benchmark Litigation named Wyatt a "Highly Recommended" and "Leading Litigation" firm.

The Kentucky Chamber of Commerce and the Kentucky Society for Human Resource Management named Wyatt one of the "Best Places to Work." Wyatt has also been named one of the "Best Employers in Tennessee."

References

Wyatt, Tarrant & Combs Wikipedia

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