Practice · Real estate · Kentucky

Real estate.Kentucky.

Twenty years of legal practice applied to your matter. Deeds, mortgages, title opinions, and closing supervision. Kentucky law requires that deeds, mortgages, and title opinions be prepared by a licensed Kentucky attorney (Frazee v. Citizens Fidelity Bank). I do the work directly.

KY BAR # 101547·Initial 30-minute consult: free.
What a Kentucky real-estate matter is

The shape of the work.

A typical Kentucky residential closing involves four attorney-prepared documents: the deed, the mortgage (or deed of trust), a title opinion, and the closing statement. Kentucky case law — most directly Frazee v. Citizens Fidelity Bank & Trust Co. and Countrywide Home Loans, Inc. v. Kentucky Bar Ass'n — requires that deeds, mortgages, and title opinions be prepared by a Kentucky-licensed attorney. Lay closings on routine matters are permitted; the document drafting is not.

For commercial matters — small CRE deals, ground leases, title work on multi-property portfolios — the same rules apply, with the added complexity of entity ownership, financing structure, and lease drafting.

What I do

Deliverables.

01 · Most common

Residential closing — full document package.

Deed (general warranty, special warranty, or quitclaim as appropriate). Mortgage or deed of trust. Title opinion. Closing statement. Coordination with the title company and lender. Recording with the county clerk.

02

Title opinion — standalone.

Examination of the title chain, identification of liens and encumbrances, written opinion on marketability. Used by lenders, title insurers, and buyers as part of a closing or independently for due diligence.

03

Deed preparation — standalone.

For estate transfers, family transfers, or refinances. KRS Chapter 382 requires recordable instruments be drafted to specific format; the firm handles that.

04

Commercial real-estate transactions.

Small CRE — sub-$5M, owner-occupier or small investor. LOI review and counter, purchase contract review, deed + mortgage prep, title work, closing supervision. Coordination with lender, title company, and escrow.

05

Commercial leases.

Ground leases, build-to-suit, and standard commercial leases. Drafting from scratch or review of a counter-party draft. Includes the recordable memorandum of lease where required.

06

Cornerstone catalog cross-reference.

For a single Kentucky transfer-on-death deed, the firm's Bluegrass Cornerstone catalog (a DBA of this firm under KRS 365.015) offers TOD-deed drafting at $99 (KRS 391.360 + 381.040; Howell v. Herald format). For deeds, mortgages, title opinions, and full closings, the firm drafts directly under JL Direct — those documents require attorney drafting under Kentucky law (Frazee v. Citizens Fidelity Bank). See bluegrasscornerstone.com for the catalog and /flat-fees for the JL Direct commercial-lease and closing prices.

Pricing · Flat fees, published

What the work costs.

When to call me first

Anything that affects title, gets recorded, or moves money.

A deed, a mortgage, or a title opinion is not a do-it- yourself document in Kentucky. Even a routine residential closing has irreversible consequences — once a deed is recorded, fixing a mistake takes another deed, and that gets expensive. If your matter touches title, gets recorded with a county clerk, or moves significant money, please engage the firm directly before signing anything.

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