W. Blaine Early III

Dr. Early's Ph.D. in Biology and experience as a college professor help set him apart as an environmental lawyer, where technical expertise is an important complement to the practice of law. His legal practice is a broad approach to environmental law that includes a focus on water and land issues, agriculture, natural resources and energy, and the intersection of surety law and environmental regulatory matters. He counsels clients on environmental compliance and environmental considerations in real estate and business transactions and is active in civil and administrative litigation. Law is Blaine's second career. He served on the biology faculty of Cumberland College (now the University of the Cumberlands) in Williamsburg, Ky., from 1979 until 1993, chairing the department (1984 to 1993) and earning the rank of full professor. Prior to joining the firm in September 1998, Blaine was Judicial Law Clerk to Hon. Jennifer B. Coffman, United States District Judge for the Eastern and Western Districts of Kentucky, in London, Kentucky. Blaine is current vice-chair of the Lexington Environmental Commission and is a member of the Executive Board of Bluegrass Tomorrow. He is a member of the board and pro-bono legal counsel for the Upper Cumberland River Watershed Watch and is a member of the board of the state-wide organization Watershed Watch in Kentucky, Inc. Blaine is a former member of the Board of Trustees of the Energy and Mineral Law Foundation. He is a former chair of the Water Quality and Wetlands Committee of the American Bar Association's Section on Environment, Energy, and Resources; former chair of the Natural Resources Section of the Kentucky Bar Association; and, a former president of the Kentucky Academy of Science.