Barbara Bonar - a Covington, United States Whistleblower Claims Lawyer

Covington Whistleblower Claims Lawyer

Updated: 02/28/2026

Areas of Practice

Whistleblower Claims
Workplace Standards
Executive Contracts
Discrimination
Employee Benefits
Wage and Hour Laws
Conflict Resolution
Retaliation
Harassment

Litigation: 90%

Attorney Information

Overview

Barbara Bonar has more than 35 years' tenure as a licensed attorney and nationally recognized in all issues regarding employee/employer relations, including whistleblower claims, workplace standards, executive contracts, discrimination, harassment, retaliation, conflict resolution, wage and hour laws, employee benefits, and personnel policies & procedures.

Barbara has been consistently rated by her peers with a Martindale-Hubbell "AV Preeminent" rating, the highest possible rating in both legal ability and ethical standards.

For her accomplishments as a civil trial lawyer, especially in obtaining substantial jury awards for her clients in litigating whistleblower, sexual harassment and discrimination claims, Barbara Bonar is a tenured national speaker on trial techniques in workplace litigation.

Barbara was founder and President of the Kentucky Employment Lawyers Association and has been active in several national organizations that advocate for employees on the workplace, including the National Employment Lawyers Association, Taxpayers Against Fraud, the National Whistleblower Defense Fund, and other local and state Bar Employment Law Sections. Barbara speaks regionally to Bar Association groups and Chamber of Commerce organizations on a broad spectrum of workplace issues and personnel topics.

A certified mediator and arbitrator, Bonar has served on extensive local and regionally-recognized mediation and arbitration panels throughout the Northern Kentucky/Greater Cincinnati area, including twenty-five years on the American Arbitration Association (AAA) panel.

Barbara served six years as the elected Governor to the Kentucky Bar Association Board, which is integrated with the Kentucky Supreme Court's Discipline Process. She subsequently served as Vice President, President-Elect, and ultimately President of the Kentucky Bar Association. While President of the Kentucky Bar, Barbara initiated and acted as Chair of the Commonwealth's first "Rule of Law Symposium" in 2008.

Barbara has both her Urban Planning degree (1975), and her Juris Doctorate (1984) from the University of Kentucky. After clerking for Chief Justice Robert F. Stephens of the Kentucky Supreme Court, she began her employment law experience as corporate counsel for two separate insurance companies. She has also served as an adjunct professor in legal writing at Salmon P. Chase College of Law (1987 - 1992).

Barbara Bonar's Bar Admissions include: Commonwealth of Kentucky (1984), Supreme Court of the United States (2003), United States District Court, Eastern and Western Districts of Kentucky, and the Court of Federal Claims (Washington, DC). Barbara is a current member of the Northern Kentucky Bar Association, and served for several years on the Board of the Kentucky Academy of Trial Attorneys (Now Kentucky Justice Association) and on many Committees and Sections of the Cincinnati Bar Association, and the American Trial Lawyers Association. She has served as a Barrister with the Salmon P. Chase Inn of Court, on the Kentucky Governor's Commission on Small Business Advocacy, on several business committees for the Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce, and on the Board of the Northern Kentucky Lawyers for the Poor for four years

Awards and Honors

Honors

Martindale-Hubbell “AV Preeminent” rating

Education

Legal Education
- University of Kentucky College of Law, Lexington, Kentucky, 1984
  Doctor of Jurisprudence
  Honors: magna cum laude
Non Legal Education
- University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, US, 1975
  B.A.
  Honors: cum laude
  Honors: Urban Planning degree (1975)

Current Employment Position(s)

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Of Counsel
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Past Positions

Kentucky Chief Justice Robert F. Stephens, Law Clerk, 1984
Union Central Life, In-House Counsel, 1986 - 1988
Kentucky Bench and Bar, Editor, 1994 - 1997
Barrister with the Salmon P. Chase Inn of Court, on the Kentucky Governor’s Commission on Small Business Advocacy

Classes and Seminars

Various Employment Law Seminars, Kentucky Bar Association, 1989 - 1992
Instructor, Legal Writing, Chase College of Law, 1987 - 1991
Adjunct Professor in Legal Writing at Salmon P. Chase College of Law (1987 – 1992)

Pro Bono Activities

North Kentucky Legal Aid,1988 - Present

Published Works

Articles

"Encouraging Advances in Mining and ReclamPractices, 86 W. VA. Law Review 3, 1984

Bar Admissions

Kentucky, 1984
U.S. District Court Eastern District of Kentucky, 1990
U.S. Court of Appeals 6th Circuit, 1990

Other Affiliations

Kentucky Bar, 1990 - Present (Board of Governors)
Kentucky Bar, 1990 - 1996 (House of Delegates)
Northern Kentucky Bar Association (Member)
American Bar Association (Member)
Northern Kentucky Bar Foundation, 1995 - Present (Board Member)
Northern Kentucky Bar Foundation, 1996 (President)
Kentucky Academy of Trial Lawyers, 1997 - 1999 (Board Member)
Kentucky Employment Lawyers Association, 1996 - Present (Co-Founder/President)
National Employment Lawyers Association
Kentucky Bar Association, Vice President
Chair of the Commonwealth’s first “Rule of Law Symposium” in 2008
American Trial Lawyers Association

Reviews

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5.0 Value
5.0 Quality of Service
5.0 Professional Competence

Related to:

Employment

Contracts
By Sara G. on Nov. 06, 2024

Verified Client
Hired Attorney 2024

Barbara was as advertised with a work ethic and winning drive from the beginning. Her expertise in employment law and negotiations was evident from the start of my engagement with her on negotiating a separation agreement and non-compete contract. She represented my best interests with the finesse of a seasoned attorney. I can not recommend her enough!

Value: 5.0 out of 5

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Quality of Service: 5.0 out of 5

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Professional Competence: 5.0 out of 5

Contact

Covington, KY

50 E Rivercenter Blvd
Suite 1275
Covington, KY 41011

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Website: https://www.gatlinvoelker.com

Credit Cards Accepted
Free Consultations
Virtual Appointments

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