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Lexington Labor & Employment Lawyer
Overview
The managing partner of Lockaby PLLC, Matt maintains a diverse practice that stems from his joy working with small business. For nearly two decades, Matt has provided strategic advice and counsel to businesses of all sizes, from startups to Fortune 500 companies, to resolve the myriad day-to-day HR and personnel issues that arise during the employment lifespan, from recruiting and hiring to termination, layoffs, and reductions in force—and everything in between. Matt has also fiercely defended employers and management against a wide variety of discrimination, retaliation, harassment, and wage-and-hour claims in state and federal courts, including class-action and FLSA collective-action claims.
Matt has also carved a special niche for non-compete litigation, particularly for startups and their owners, successfully litigating breach-of-contract and breach-of-fiduciary-duty actions in Kentucky and beyond, including federal court in New York and arbitration in Florida.
His work with small business owners extends beyond labor-and-employment guidance, as Matt also provides corporate and transactional expertise and general counsel services, all of which is aided, in no small part, by the fact that he is a small business owner himself—of Lockaby PLLC and of Axis HR Solutions LLC, a human-resources consulting company that provides outsourced HR services and HR and human capital due diligence and integration solutions to buyers and sellers in middle-market M&A transactions.
Matt’s expertise spans the business lifecycle, including entity selection and formation for startups (including the preparation of operating, partnership, and shareholder agreements and related documents); employment, management, and operating contracts (including employment and independent contractor agreements, restrictive covenants, master service agreements, supplier agreements, and vendor agreements); and the purchase and sale of businesses through mergers and acquisitions.
Finally, Matt helps buyers and sellers manage the complex labor-and-employment issues that arise during a merger or acquisition, often working in conjunction with corporate counsel and the entire deal team to help clients achieve the desired transaction goals, minimize the risks inherent in any integration, and ensure compliance with the myriad international, federal, state, and local laws and regulations.
Beyond Lockaby PLLC
Matt resides in Lexington, Kentucky, with his wife and law partner, Amanda, and their two children. Outside the office, you can usually find him outdoors: He has climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, Africa; Mt. Rainier in Washington; and Quandary Peak in Colorado, and he escapes to Lake Cumberland and the U.S. Virgin Islands to go boating every chance he gets.
About Matthew T. Lockaby
Practice Areas
- Labor & Employment
- Corporate
- Litigation
Qualifications
Bar Admissions
- Kentucky, 2007
- Ohio, 2006
- U.S. Supreme Court, 2015
- U.S. Court of Appeals 6th Circuit, 2007
- U.S. District Court Eastern District of Kentucky, 2007
- U.S. District Court Western District of Kentucky, 2007
- U.S. District Court Southern District of Ohio, 2007
Other Affiliations
- American Bar Association (Member, Labor & Employment Law Committee, Antitrust Committee, M&A Committee, and Middle Market & Small Business Committee)
- Kentucky Bar Association (Member, Business Law Section and Labor & Employment Law Section; Former Chair, Vice-Chair, and Secretary, Labor & Employment Law Section, 2018-2021)
- Fayette County Bar Association
Education
- Northern Kentucky University, Salmon P. Chase College of Law, Highland Heights, Kentucky, 2006
J.D.
Honors: cum laude
Honors: Dean’s List: 2003, 2004, and 2006
Law Review: Northern Kentucky Law Review, Executive Editor - Centre College, Danville, Kentucky, 2000
B.A.
Fraternities and Sororities
- Sigma Chi
Classes and Seminars
- “Wage-and-Hour Laws: Best Practices and Recent Developments” (National Business Institute presentation for attorneys and HR professionals; Lexington, Kentucky, February 2023)
- “Discrimination Law Update” (University of Kentucky College of Law Biennial Labor & Employment Law Institute; Lexington, Kentucky, June 2022)
- “Trending Topics: Labor & Employment” (Fayette County Bar Association’s Bench & Bar CLE Program, May 2021)
- “Employment Law Essentials: Drafting Arbitration Agreements” (Kentucky Bar Association Annual Law Update, 2020)
- "Hot Topics in Labor & Employment Law: A Case Law Update on the Enforcement of Arbitration Agreements," (Kentucky Bar Association Annual Convention; Louisville, Kentucky, June 2019)
- "2019 Update on Wage and Hour Laws" (Seminar presented at a client’s annual conference attended by nationwide franchisees; Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, February 2019)
- "Human Resources Law from A to Z" (National Business Institute presentation for attorneys and HR professionals; Louisville, Kentucky, November 2018)
- "Ultimate Guide to Expert Witnesses" (National Business Institute presentation for attorneys; Lexington, Kentucky for March 2018)
- "Guide to Human Resources Laws in the Workplace" (National Business Institute presentation for attorneys and HR professionals; Lexington, Kentucky, February 2018)
- "Troubleshooting HR Legal Nightmares" (National Business Institute presentation for attorneys and HR professionals; Lexington, Kentucky June 2017)
- "Human Resource Law from A to Z" (National Business Institute presentation for attorneys and HR professionals; Lexington, Kentucky, February 2017)
- "Advanced Issues in Personal Injury Litigation" (National Business Institute presentation for attorneys; Lexington, Kentucky, March 2016)
- "Title IX: Employment Challenges and Considerations" (Appalachian College Association Annual Risk Management Seminar; Richmond, Kentucky, October 2015)
- "Human Resources Law from Start to Finish" (National Business Institute presentation for human resources professionals; Lexington, Kentucky, February 2014)
- "Top Five Ways ERISA Third-Party Administrators Can Limit Liability" (National Pension Consultants annual seminar; Sarasota, Florida,February 2014)
Achievements
Other Sources of Feedback About Matthew T. Lockaby
Included on the 2025 Kentucky Super Lawyers list
Past Lists
- 2024 Kentucky Super Lawyers list
- 2023 Kentucky Super Lawyers list
- 2022 Kentucky Super Lawyers list
- 2017 Kentucky Super Lawyers list
- 2016 Kentucky Super Lawyers list
- 2015 Kentucky Super Lawyers list
- 2014 Kentucky Super Lawyers list
- 2013 Kentucky Super Lawyers list
Honors
- Kentucky Super Lawyers (2022-2024)
- Kentucky Super Lawyers “Rising Star” (2013-2017)
- Martindale-Hubbell AV Preeminent Rating (2014-Present)
Office Information
Address
476 E. High St. Suite 200 Lexington, KY 40507 - 2489
Phone
Fax
- (859) 406-3333
Office Hours
Monday - Friday 8:30 AM - 5 PM
Websites
Publication
Articles
- No Good Deed Goes Unpunished; or, How the Sixth Circuit Opened the Door for New 'Regarded As' Claims Under the ADA, N. Ky. Bar Ass’n Lex Loci (Winter 2011)
- Government Tort Liability: A Survey Examination of Liability for Public Employers and Employees, 36 N. Ky. L. Rev. 377 (2009)
- Balancing Private Property Rights with "Public Use:" A Survey of the Kentucky Courts' Interpretation of the Power of Eminent Domain, 32 N. Ky. L. Rev. 743 (2005)
A Survey of the Kentucky Courts' Interpretation of the Power of Eminent Domain
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