From College Basketball to $36 Million Judgment in School Shooting Case with Sheila Hiestand

Louisville, Kentucky trial lawyer Sheila Hiestand has harnessed the same competitive zeal she had as a starting center on a division one college basketball team to become one of Kentucky’s leading trial lawyers.  Sheila has successfully litigated and tried many high-profile cases, including a recent case in which she obtained a $36 Million judgment on behalf of the family of victims of a January 2018 shooting at Marshall County High School in which two students were killed and several others injured.  Sheila discusses this case, including some of the many legal obstacles she confronted and the impact on the families she represented after this tragedy. About Sheila Hiestand Website: https://mhkylaw.com/ “The Lady Litigator”As a college basketball player who started in two final four appearances, Sheila knows the importance of hard work, drive and heart. Sheila—aka “The Lady Litigator” for her tenacity in court—is dedicated to helping women and their families through the very difficult process of personal injury claims. She has served as the president of the Kentucky trial lawyers with the Kentucky Justice Association and has worked tirelessly to fight for injured people for more than 30 years. This includes several trials with extraordinary results for her clients, such as an auto accident case where she earned a $743,000 verdict and a medical practice failure to diagnose cancer case where she earned a $1.3 million verdict.  She also has achieved many 7-figure settlements for her clients in trucking, medical malpractice, auto and motorcycle cases. After graduating from Centre College, Sheila received her Juris Doctorate from the University of Kentucky School of Law. Soon after she was recognized as the Fayette County Bar Association Outstanding Young Lawyer and was rated an “AV Lawyer” by Martindale-Hubbell®. She has also been recognized among the American Trial Lawyers Association’s Top 100 Trial Lawyers in Kentucky; Super Lawyers Top 50 Lawyers in Kentucky;  Super Lawyers Top 25 Women Lawyers in Kentucky; as Top Lawyer by Louisville Magazine, and has received a long list of awards. When not practicing law, Sheila enjoys spending time with her three children and husband and loves to compete in triathlons. She plays viola, violin, cello and piano and is a past member of the Lexington Singers. Sheila is also fluent in Spanish and has volunteered at the Federal Correctional Institute to assist Spanish-speaking inmates with legal matters pro bono.EducationGraduated from Centre College with a double major in English and SpanishJuris Doctorate from the University of Kentucky, College of Law MembershipsKentucky Justice Association, Past PresidentKentucky Bar Association, Past Board of GovernorsKentucky Bar Association Young Lawyers Section, Past PresidentMillion Dollar Advocates ForumMulti-Million Dollar Advocates ForumAmerican Board of Trial AdvocatesInjury BoardThe American Society of Legal AdvocatesAmerican Association for Justice President of Fayette County Young Lawyers, Past PresidentLouisville Sports Commission Board MemberMemory Walk for the Alzheimer’s Association, Committee ChairVolunteer Center of Central Kentucky Annual Fundraiser, Committee ChairLexington Chapter of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation’s Sixty Five Roses Ball, Co-ChairTop Attorney Personal Injury LicensesCommonwealth of KentuckyState of IndianaState of TennesseeUS District Courts for Eastern, Middle and Western Districts of KentuckyUS District Court for Southern District of IndianaUS District Court for Northern District of IllinoisUnited States 6th Circuit Court of AppealsSupreme Court of the United States of America AwardsFayette County Bar Association Outstanding Young Lawyer , 1998Kentucky Justice Association Peter Perlman Award recipient for Outstanding Trial Attorney 2018AV® Preeminent™ Peer Review Rated by Martindale-HubbellThe American Trial Lawyers Association , Top 100 Trial Lawyers in KentuckySelected for inclusion in Kentucky Super Lawyers ® for more than a decadeSelected as a Top 50 Kentucky Super Lawyers in Kentucky for multiple yearsSelected as a Top 25 Kentucky Women Super Lawyers in Kentucky for multiple yearsSelected for inclusion in the  Who’s Who in American LawAVVO Perfect 10 Rating – Top Personal Injury AttorneyOutstanding Attorney by the Greater Lexington Paralegal AssociationNational Academy of Personal Injury AttorneysNAOPIA Top 10 Attorney for KYGlobal Who’s Who Best Lawyers in America