Matthew Lockaby

Matt Lockaby is the founder and managing partner of Lockaby PLLC in Lexington, Kentucky. He advises small and midsized businesses on corporate and M&A matters, acts as outside general counsel, and represents employers and management in nearly every aspect of workplace/employment law.

M&A COUNSEL -- Matt represents buyers and sellers in lower-middle-market / "Main Street" transactions, working with buyers and sellers to structure and paper deals that protect upsides, mitigate downsides, and allocate risk accordingly, commonly working with clients through LOI, due diligence, and post-close obligations. In middle-market transactions, Matt provides specialized labor-and-employment guidance for buyers and sellers, including pre-deal due diligence and various liability/compliance analyses and "stress testing" under federal, state, and local regulations.

CORPORATE COUNSEL -- Matt advises start-ups and small- and mid-sized businesses, including their founders and investors, on the wide variety of organizational needs, such as initial entity selection and formation and corporate governance and corporate secretary support, ranging from the development of incentive compensation plans and awards to managing and maintaining shareholder capitalization tables.

TRANSACTIONAL COUNSEL -- Matt drafts and negotiates workplace contracts, including operating and buy-sell agreements and other employment agreements, such as non-compete agreements, confidentiality and non-disclosure agreements, independent contractor agreements, arbitration agreements, and severance agreements.

PREVENTATIVE COUNSEL -- Matt provides compassionate yet business-minded guidance to owners and HR personnel on a wide variety of issues that arise during the employment lifespan, from recruiting and hiring to termination, layoffs, and reductions in force--and everything in between.

LITIGATION COUNSEL -- Matt also defends discrimination, retaliation, harassment, wage-and-hour, and breach-of-contract claims in state and federal courts, administrative agencies, and arbitration. In particular, Matt's practice defending against non-compete restrictions extends well beyond Kentucky; in recent years, he has successfully litigated these actions in New York and Florida.

No matter the client, Matt's singular focus is the same: vigorous yet transparent, cost-effective representation specifically tailored to resolve each client's problem, and achieve each client's goals, as quickly and efficiently as possible.

Matt graduated from Centre College and earned his law degree, cum laude, from Northern Kentucky University-Chase College of Law, where he served as Executive Editor of the Northern Kentucky Law Review, mentored first-year law students, and worked as an extern for a former U.S Magistrate Judge in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio.

Matt is admitted to practice in the state courts of Ohio and Kentucky, the U.S. District Courts for the Eastern and Western Districts of Kentucky and Southern District of Ohio, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit, and the Supreme Court of the United States.

Matt's accomplishments have earned the respect of his peers. He was recognized as a Kentucky Super Lawyer from 2022-2026, as a Rising Star from 2013-2017, and the attorney peer-review service Martindale-Hubbell gave him its highest rating*, AV Preeminent.

Matt is a member of the American Bar Association and Kentucky Bar Association. He currently serves as the secretary of the KBA's Business Law Section and previously served as the chair, vice-chair, and secretary of the KBA's Labor and Employment Law Section. Matt regularly speaks on employment and corporate law topics at conferences and seminars for the Kentucky Bar Association and groups such as the National Business Institute.

*AV®, BV®, AV Preeminent® and BV Distinguished® are registered certification marks of Reed Elsevier Properties Inc., used in accordance with the Martindale-Hubbell certification procedures, standards and policies. Martindale-Hubbell is the facilitator of a peer-review rating process. Ratings reflect the anonymous opinions of members of the bar and the judiciary. Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review Ratings fall into two categories – legal ability and general practice standards.