Princeton, KY

Kyle Salyer

I grew up in Johnson County and eastern Kentucky, all the way through Alice Lloyd College in Pippa Passes. After law school at Valparaiso University in Indiana, I came straight back to Kentucky to practice personal injury law. All I wanted to do was help people from my home, my Kentucky neighbors when they’ve been hurt by others. Over the years, I learned how to win clients the compensation they deserve to get their lives back on track-even if it means going to trial. In fact, I dedicated myself to learning everything I could about trying cases in front of juries. It takes a lot of Kentucky Courage™ for everyday Kentuckians to go to court, and I’m proud to stay by their side in the fight. In 2018, I joined forces with Morgan, Collins, Yeast & Salyer. I added the Paintsville office to the firm’s six other offices around Kentucky-so I can help even more Kentucky families. I help people hurt from car accidents, truck accidents, motorcycle accidents, defective products, medical malpractice, slips and falls and workplace accidents.

Roy Collins

The state motto of Kentucky is: “United we stand. Divided we fall.” That principle really guides the strength and Kentucky Courage™™ of Morgan, Collins, Yeast & Salyer. When I graduated from law school, I started my legal career working for a law firm that defended insurance companies and lawsuits filed against a major retailer. I quickly grew tired of watching big companies keep injured Kentuckians from getting the help they needed after an injury. After four years, I quit. Since then, I’ve dedicated my career to helping people who have been hurt by others. The only thing I regret is that I didn’t make the change sooner to helping ordinary, hardworking Kentuckians. At Morgan, Collins, Yeast & Salyer, I’m the managing partner. I’ve been with the firm since 2000. I focus on helping you if you were injured in a car accident, a truck accident or with a premises liability case. At Morgan, Collins, Yeast & Salyer, we treat all of our Kentucky clients as family.

Bruce Bentley

I’m Bruce Bentley, an attorney at Morgan, Collins, Yeast & Salyer. I believe in working hard and helping ordinary people who are going through a difficult ordeal and struggling to make ends meet. My law practice focuses on helping people who have been involved in personal injury accidents such as car accidents or truck accidents or other accidents caused by another driver. I recognize that most of my clients have found themselves in difficult situations through no fault of their own. Often, their injuries have caused them to miss work and lose their job and lose their insurance. Frequently, accident victims are having difficulty receiving the medical treatment they need because of insurance policy exclusions or an insurance provider’s refusal to approve the needed treatment. When insurance companies mistreat people, it doesn’t sit well with me. My priority is to determine how I’m going to help each person recover as much as possible and be treated fairly. That is where my negotiating skills and two decades of litigation experience are crucial. I am a member of the Million Dollar Advocates Forum, a group composed of attorneys who have achieved settlements or jury awards of at least $1 million. When I first meet a client, I try to make a good impression that I’m going to work hard for them and answer their questions, even if it’s not the answer they want to hear. I’ve learned that if you work hard and tell them the truth, at the end of the day they will have respect and think well of you. Most people know when you are working hard for them. It’s best to be upfront and direct with folks. They respect that. There are times when people have life-changing injuries and I’ve been able to make a recovery to really change the life of a parent or child for the better. When you have made a real difference in how a person’s life is going to be led, that is special. That is the stuff that at the end of the career makes it worth doing.

Kentucky is my home. I love this state and its people and think it’s the best state in America. I started my career working for an insurance defense firm that defended doctors in medical malpractice litigation. However, I quickly realized I would rather help people instead of companies. It feels much better to help people in need get compensation than to help a company keep people from getting what they deserve. You never know when you or a member of your family may need help. If I were not able to help my family I would sure hope that someone in my position would help them. I sleep better at night knowing the work we do at Morgan, Collins, Yeast & Salyer helps keep Kentucky’s communities a little bit safer and better. I’ve been with Morgan, Collins, Yeast & Salyer since 2009 and focus on Civil Trial Practice, Products Liability, Professional Negligence and Auto Injury Litigation.

Kathy Banks

I joined the Kentucky Courage™ law firm in 2020. I handle workers’ compensation cases. As an injury lawyer with Morgan, Collins, Yeast & Salyer, I have the opportunity to actually help individuals who have been injured and need assistance. I’m from Paintsville, a small Kentucky town, and I work at the office that is located here. For the past 13 years, I have worked as an insurance defense attorney, handling workers’ compensation and subrogation claims. Knowing how the defense side works is a tremendous advantage. I can evaluate a case, and I see what the defense is going to look at. I know what weaknesses they will see in a case, and I help my clients overcome them. One of my most satisfying wins was a workers’ compensation case that I appealed to the Board twice because the judge’s opinion was not supported by substantial evidence of record. Both times, I won on appeal. Some of my most interesting cases have involved in-depth investigations into safety penalties and how or if there was a safety violation. I was a history major in college, but I was always attracted to the practice of law, so I decided to go in that direction. I had always wanted to help individuals, and I was always compassionate toward their situations. In my role as a lawyer, my personal skills that are most important are communication and being able to analyze all aspects of a claim. I have always felt compassion for individuals involved in the legal process. When I first meet clients, I try to make them comfortable. I listen to the information that they tell me, and I let them know we can help them on their journey. When they leave that first meeting, they should feel confident that we can handle their case. I see Kentucky Courage™ as the law firm that can help anyone. I know we will strive to help you if you were hurt at work or in an accident.

Casey Smith

I’m Casey Smith, an attorney in the Paducah office of Morgan, Collins, Yeast & Salyer. I focus on helping injured people who need assistance obtaining workers’ compensation benefits or Social Security disability benefits. I also handle some personal injury matters. I’ve represented hundreds of clients in cases involving workers’ compensation, personal injury, medical malpractice, and Social Security disability. I’ve represented clients from the intake process to completion in workers’ compensation cases and successfully secured disability benefits for hundreds of disabled clients. These clients are hard-working, honest, very intelligent people. Oftentimes, they have been taken advantage of by the companies they work for. The most satisfying aspect of being a personal injury attorney is getting good results for people who need help. People come to me in a time of struggle. The first thing I want to do is make them feel comfortable. I want to answer any questions they have and make sure they understand their rights. I want to provide good customer service. Clients seeking disability benefits usually are unable to work or have recently been laid off. They want to know what their options are going forward and whether they are going to qualify for Social Security disability. I try to give them as much information as possible, how long it will take, and whether they have a realistic chance. If I can help them out, I’ll let them know. If not, I’ll make sure they leave with all their questions answered. These clients put their trust in me. If I can get a good result for them, it really gives me a lot of satisfaction, knowing their life is going to be easier. It feels good helping out people in a time of need.

McKinnley Morgan

As a senior partner at Morgan, Collins, Yeast & Salyer, I know the importance of standing up for Kentuckians. As a country boy born in the hills of Eastern Kentucky, I didn’t get my education from a book, I got my education from helping the people around me. I always enjoyed sitting down and listening to stories from my grandparents and other elders. I listened to them and learned from their knowledge and wisdom and applied it to help to solve problems for the people of Kentucky. Being exposed to a lot of people who had very little book education, but a lot of wisdom, gave me a leg up in the world. I received both my undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Kentucky and I’m proud to be a Wildcat. I’ve practiced law for 35 years and have been with this firm since 2000. I practice Workers’ Compensation, Social Security Disability and civil law. In all my years of practice, I’ve found that the most important thing I can do is to help injured workers in need. Knowing that folks will be provided for if I get them a Social Security or Workers’ Compensation reward is a great feeling. These rewards help families survive. Knowing families are being taken care is more important to me than generating a fee from our law firm.