
Joseph M. Kamer
Of Counsel
Phone
(859) 263-7884
Practice Areas
Corporate
Mergers & Acquisitions
jkamer@lockabylaw.com
Biography
Joe Kamer is Of Counsel at Lockaby PLLC. He formerly served as Senior Vice President, General Counsel & Secretary of Tempur Sealy International, Inc., where he was responsible for all of the corporation’s legal matters, nationally and internationally. Prior to his tenure at Tempur Sealy, Joe was Vice President, General Counsel & Secretary at Steel Technologies LLC in Louisville, where he simultaneously served in the roles of Chief Compliance Officer and Risk Manager. Before joining Steel Technologies, Joe served as Associate General Counsel & Assistant Secretary at Lexmark International, Inc.
Before going in-house, Joe practiced at various AmLaw 100 law firms, focusing his practice on General Corporate, Mergers & Acquisitions, Securities, and Corporate Finance. His clients included small and midsized businesses and Fortune 500 companies in a wide variety of industries. Joe is also a Certified Public Accountant and practiced with Ernst & Young LLP prior to attending law school.
Joe brings over 35 years of corporate law and business experience in advising his clients, including both technical legal analysis and practical business/legal judgment, lending itself to a more thorough and complete problem-solving process. Joe considers not only legal issues, but also legal risks and business practicalities. His clients appreciate that aspect of his practice style and find his common-sense approach easy to work with.
At this stage in his career, Joe enjoys working with startups, small, and midsized companies looking for ways to grow and improve their businesses and navigate legal minefields. He enjoys working on mergers, acquisitions, dispositions, and joint ventures, but also advises on basic essential issues like entity selection and formation. Joe also assists clients with capital structure, venture capital funding, and financing challenges, as well as day-to-day strategy and contractual issues, such as vendor, supplier, and customer agreements. In addition, he also has extensive experience in business risk management and business insurance placements.
Joe’s greatest joy in his practice comes from watching his clients grow and thrive, as he looks forward to learning something new about his clients’ businesses every day.
Beyond Lockaby PLLC
Joe enjoys spending time outside of his practice with his two grown sons, both of whom reside in Texas, and his large extended family in the Louisville area. He is an outdoor enthusiast who enjoys traveling, cycling, hiking, boating, and fishing.
Universit of Kentucky College of Law
J.D., 1992
University of Louisville
B.S. Business Administration (Accounting Concentration), Highest Honors, 1996
Virginia
Ohio
Kentucky (pending)
Certified Public Accountant -- Virginia, 1986
Education
Northern Kentucky University, Salmon P. Chase College of Law
Centre College
J.D., cum laude
Honors: Dean’s List: 2003, 2004, and 2006
Honors: Executive Editor, Northern Kentucky Law Review
B.A., English Literature
Bar Admissions
Kentucky, 2007
Ohio, 2006
U.S. Supreme Court, 2015
U.S. Court of Appeals 6th Circuit, 2007
U.S. District Court Eastern District of Kentucky, 2007
U.S. District Court Western District of Kentucky, 2007
U.S. District Court Southern District of Ohio, 2007
Professional Associations
Member, Labor & Employment Law
Committee, M&A Committee, and Middle
Market & Small Business Committee
Member, Business Law Section (Secretary, 2025-2026)
Member Labor & Employment Law Section (Former Chair, Vice-Chair, and Secretary, Labor & Employment Law Section, 2018-2021)
Fayette County Bar Association
American Bar Association
Kentucky Bar Association
Presentations
Wage-and-Hour Laws: Best Practices and Recent Developments” (National Business Institute presentation for attorneys and HR professionals; Lexington, Kentucky, February 2023)
“Discrimination Law Update” (University of Kentucky College of Law Biennial Labor & Employment Law Institute; Lexington, Kentucky, June 2022)
“Trending Topics: Labor & Employment” (Fayette County Bar Association’s Bench & Bar CLE Program, May 2021)
“Employment Law Essentials: Drafting Arbitration Agreements” (Kentucky Bar Association Annual Law Update, 2020)
“Hot Topics in Labor & Employment Law: A Case Law Update on the Enforcement of Arbitration Agreements,” (Kentucky Bar Association Annual Convention; Louisville, Kentucky, June 2019)
“2019 Update on Wage and Hour Laws” (Seminar presented at a client’s annual conference attended by nationwide franchisees; Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, February 2019)
“Human Resources Law from A to Z” (National Business Institute presentation for attorneys and HR professionals; Louisville, Kentucky, November 2018)
“Ultimate Guide to Expert Witnesses” (National Business Institute presentation for attorneys; Lexington, Kentucky for March 2018)
“Guide to Human Resources Laws in the Workplace” (National Business Institute presentation for attorneys and HR professionals; Lexington, Kentucky, February 2018)
“Troubleshooting HR Legal Nightmares” (National Business Institute presentation for attorneys and HR professionals; Lexington, Kentucky June 2017)
“Human Resource Law from A to Z” (National Business Institute presentation for attorneys and HR professionals; Lexington, Kentucky, February 2017)
“Advanced Issues in Personal Injury Litigation” (National Business Institute presentation for attorneys; Lexington, Kentucky, March 2016)
“Title IX: Employment Challenges and Considerations” (Appalachian College Association Annual Risk Management Seminar; Richmond, Kentucky, October 2015)
“Human Resources Law from Start to Finish” (National Business Institute presentation for human resources professionals; Lexington, Kentucky, February 2014)
“Top Five Ways ERISA Third-Party Administrators Can Limit Liability” (National Pension Consultants annual seminar; Sarasota, Florida, February 2014)
“Port-Mortem of Dead Deals: Lessons Learned from M&A Deals that Didn’t Close,” Panelist – October 2025 Bluegrass M&A Professionals Fall M&A Summit
Employment Contracts and Agreements: A Guide for Corporate Counsel – Matthew Bender & Company, Inc. (Lexis-Nexis 2025)
“Preparing for the 2025 M&A Landscape,” Panelist – October 2024 Bluegrass M&A Professionals Fall M&A Summit (addressing increased focus on talent retention, talent-first M&A deal strategies, and remote and hybrid work integrations in M&A)
“Staying Blunt: The Straight Dope on Labor & Employment Law Changes” – September 2024 Kentucky Association of Healthcare Recruiters presentation
“A Delicate Status for Non-Competes? FTC Actions, NLRB Decisions, and Other Developments” – June 2024 UK Biennial Labor & Employment Law Institute
“The Role of HR in M&A Transactions from Due Diligence to Post-Merger Integration” – 2023 Alpha Financial Advisors’ Annual Business Owner’s Summit

