2025 Hall of Fame Inductee Penny Warren Class of 1979

Penny Warren began law school in 1976, when only 7 percent of U.S. attorneys were female. To add to the challenge, she started her first semester with daughters ages 10 and 4. “We are all much stronger as a result,” she says. Despite earning her law degree, an MBA from the University of Arkansas, and strong recommendations, she initially struggled to find a job. Thankfully, opportunities for women have improved. She began her legal career as an appellate lawyer with the Kentucky Attorney General’s office. Steve Beshear gave her the first case—representing Governor John Y. Brown, Jr., and his reorganization of the Public Service Commission—which she won. She went on to win numerous state and federal cases. In 1981, Penny briefed a case before the U.S. Supreme Court. In 1984, she became the first female UK Law graduate to brief and argue before the Court, returning in 1987 to argue another successful case.

In 1988, Penny joined Wyatt, Tarrant and Combs as a partner and complex commercial trial litigator. She was fortunate to be mentored by Bert Combs and Ned Breathitt. She represented clients such as Norfolk Southern in contract disputes and several coal companies in complex commercial litigation, earning the highest Martindale-Hubbell rating (AV) for her work.

Looking toward retirement, Penny joined Federal District Judge Karl Forester as a law clerk in 2006. One week in, they were assigned the Comair plane crash case in Lexington, involving 48 plaintiffs and attorneys from across the country. The case’s complexity occupied her for much of the next five years, with all plaintiffs reaching favorable outcomes. After Judge Forester’s passing in 2014, Penny continued assisting other federal judges in the Eastern District of Kentucky.

After nearly 40 years of experience in state and federal trial and appellate courts, Penny retired in 2018. She now devotes her time to causes close to her heart, including the UK Rosenberg College of Law Visiting Committee, the UK College of Nursing BREATHE Advisory Board, the UK Women’s Heart Health Advisory Board, and the Executive Committee for Lexington’s 100 Women philanthropic group. She is also endowing a scholarship fund at the College of Law to help others pursue rewarding legal careers.