Biography
Nathaniel “Nate” Kissel focuses his practice in the area of medical malpractice, including the defense of hospitals, nursing homes, and assisted living facilities. In addition to medical malpractice defense, Nate provides a variety of services to healthcare clients and has represented healthcare clients in premise liability matters, contractual disputes and collections matters. Nate has also represented physicians and nurses before state licensing boards. He also practices in the areas of insurance defense, premise liability, and employment litigation. His clients range from local businesses to regional hospital groups and utilities, and national retailers. He also handles significant appellate work including drafting appeals and motions for interlocutory relief at the Kentucky Court of Appeals, Kentucky Supreme Court, and the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals. Nate has extensive bankruptcy and creditor relations experience, representing secured and unsecured creditors in Chapter 7, 11, and 13 bankruptcies. His clients have included banks, manufacturers, and utilities, handling everything from simple matters in consumer cases all the way up to complex issues in corporate cases. He is licensed to practice and has appeared before judges in both the eastern and western district bankruptcy courts of Kentucky, and is also licensed in the Northern District of Illinois.
Before commencing law school, Nate worked as a staff writer and photographer for The Oldham Era in La Grange, Kentucky, where he won several awards from the Kentucky Press Association for news coverage, investigative reporting, feature stories, editorials, and columns.
Representative Experience
- Coordinated the defense of dozens of medical negligence, corporate negligence, wrongful death, and resident’s rights claims. Defense of these claims routinely includes significant and wide-ranging discovery disputes, including the coordination of extensive e-discovery
- Successfully challenged and prohibited the attempted sale by a coal company debtor of the rights under a contract with utility client via bankruptcy sale in three-day bench trial in federal court during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic
- Obtained summary judgment for large nationwide retailer which was upheld on appeal to the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals in premises liability action
- Successfully obtained enforcement of arbitration agreements for numerous healthcare clients through the filing of Federal court complaints to compel arbitration pursuant to the Federal Arbitration Act (“FAA”), as well as enforcement under often-hostile state law
- Assisted nursing home clients with collection matters, including the drafting of promissory notes and mortgages and the drafting and filing of judgment liens, as well as negotiating the resolution of debts with estate planning attorneys representing residents
- Represented numerous banking and corporate clients in Chapter 7, 13, and 11 bankruptcy matters
Education
- J.D. University of Kentucky J. David Rosenberg College of Law
Achievements
- The Best Lawyers in America®, Commercial Litigation (2025), Litigation – Banking and Finance (2025)
- Super Lawyers Rising Stars®, Medical Malpractice Law, Bankruptcy Law, Creditor Debtor Rights Law, Whitesburg, KY (2019-2020)
Speaking Engagements
- Presented on “The Importance of Accurate and Timely Charting in Healthcare Litigation” for healthcare clients
Publications
- “A ‘Preposterous Anomaly’: Sovereign Immunity in Kentucky Following the Crash of Comair Flight 5191” 98 Kentucky Law Journal 889 (2010)
- Notes Editor, Kentucky Law Journal
Press Release