About Jennifer Leigh
Jennifer Leigh McCarty built her career steadily. She left Kentucky classrooms for law school at the turn of the century and has practiced in the state and federal courts since.
She earned a B.A. in Political Science from the University of Kentucky in 1992. Eight years later she received her J.D. from the University of Louisville in 2000. Those two degrees anchor a career that moves between trial dockets and appellate filings.
McCarty began her post-law school practice as an associate at Bishop & Associates, P.S.C., in 2001. She spent the next decade learning the day-to-day work of litigation and client service. In 2011 she joined Adams, Hayward & Welsh as a lawyer, and two years later she took on a partnership role at Abney & McCarty, PLLC. Each move marked a step into greater responsibility and a broader range of matters handled on behalf of clients.
In 2018 she founded McCarty Legal. The firm is the latest iteration of a career that has mixed private practice and firm leadership. As founder, she oversees client work and the administrative side of the practice. Her professional path shows a steady progression from associate to partner to firm founder.
McCarty is admitted to practice in Kentucky and before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. That admission reflects work that spans state and federal matters. Over the years she has prepared filings for trial courts and appellate courts and handled procedural and substantive components of civil litigation.
Colleagues describe her as methodical in preparation and exacting in brief work. She favors clear argument and close attention to the record. Those traits have shaped how she approaches client matters and courtroom appearances.
Outside the courtroom she has navigated the practical demands of running a small firm. That includes managing client intake, supervising support staff, and directing case strategy. The business side of her practice sits alongside client representation rather than separate from it.
She currently leads McCarty Legal and represents clients in Kentucky as well as in proceedings before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.
