Pat Moloney Awarded Fayette County Bar Association’s Highest Honor

Pat received the FCBA’s Henry T. Duncan Award at a May 21, 2021 ceremony. He was introduced by Sturgill Turner partner Andrew DeSimone.

Sturgill, Turner, Barker & Moloney, PLLC is pleased to announce the selection of attorney Donald P. “Pat” Moloney II as the 2020 recipient of the Fayette County Bar Association’s Henry T. Duncan Award.

Pat’s dedication and contributions to our community are significant. Since passing the bar, Pat has consistently demonstrated high ethical standards and excellent professional standards.

His numerous accolades include being  inducted as a Fellow in the American College of Trial Lawyers in 2012; being recognized by U.S. News Best Lawyers in America, including being awarded Lexington Lawyer of the Year in 2015 and 2016 in Medical Malpractice Defense and Personal Injury Litigation; and his AV Preeminent Peer Review Rating by Martindale-Hubbell. 

After graduating from the University of Kentucky College of Law, Pat spent a year working for Judge John S. Palmore on the Kentucky Court of Appeals. He then served as Assistant Fayette County Attorney for eight years, following in the footsteps of his father, Donald P. Moloney, who was Commonwealth’s Attorney for Fayette County. After serving as a prosecutor, Pat entered private practice, focusing first on personal injury defense before focusing on the defense of health care providers.

Pat is known as a guiding light and mentor to attorneys in how to practice ethically and still give back to the community. He consistently gives back, including mentoring young lawyers and leading the revitalization of the Central Kentucky American Inn of Court, and through the Kentucky Access to Justice Commission. Pat is well-respected by both plaintiff and civil defense attorneys all across the state, who regularly engage him to serve as a mediator. He has served in state and national attorney organizations, including as president of the Kentucky Defense Counsel and state representative for the Defense Research Institute (DRI). He served as the Southern Regional Director for DRI until October 2018, representing Kentucky, Mississippi and Tennessee. 

“I cannot imagine a more meaningful and rewarding way to begin closing out my career than by receiving the Henry T. Duncan Award. It’s an award I never thought in my wildest dreams I would be honored with. I come from a long line of lawyers, and I truly do love the law. 

“When you’re engaged in the practice of law, it’s hard work. And the harder you work at it, the more you dedicate yourself to it, you gain incredible skill, and it’s that skill that makes you proud to be a lawyer. With the skills that you pick up in the practice of law, you also get a gift of knowledge that allows you to help the people who are in need of your services and your legal talent. And with that gift, you get an obligation to make our system of justice work better so there will be a greater respect for the rule of law.  Thank you very much. I am humbled by this award, and I will cherish it as long as I live.” — Pat Moloney

Pat joins Sturgill Turner partner Steve Barker and founding members Don Sturgill and Gardner Turner as FCBA Duncan Award winners.

The Henry T. Duncan award was created in 1960 to honor a member of the association who had made an outstanding contribution to the community. The award is presented to an attorney whose integrity, leadership, and professional conduct serves to exemplify the high ethical and professional standards that benefit the community.”

The FCBA awarded the Henry T. Duncan Award on Friday, May 21. See the full ceremony on Facebook.