Rest Easy Amigo, Phil Taliaferro

Local Covington, KY attorney with decades of experience and personalized attention to your case

Photo of attorney Michael W. Bouldin

Rest Easy Amigo, Phil Taliaferro

| Jun 19, 2025 | Firm News, INFORMATIONAL |

Phil Taliaferro was one of the all time great attorneys in Northern Kentucky. Phil passed away on May 26, 2025. 

The following excerpt was copied from his obituary:

Phil will be remembered for his brilliant legal mind, dramatic trial skills, keen intuition, and quick wit. He was admitted to the Kentucky Bar Association in 1962. He practiced law in Northern Kentucky and Southern Ohio for nearly six decades, earning a reputation as one of the hardest-working and most formidable attorneys in the region. He fought tirelessly for his clients, often taking on and winning complex and precedent-setting cases. Phil’s prowess in the courtroom earned him numerous accolades and awards, including the first Distinguished Service Award from the Northern Kentucky Bar Association, the Outstanding Trial Lawyer of the Year Award from the Kentucky Academy of Trial Attorneys, and the designation as a Fellow with the International Academy of Trial Attorneys.
Phil had a fierce sense of justice and an unwavering belief in the power of public service. His commitment extended beyond the courtroom, serving as a trusted advisor to Kentucky governors Happy Chandler, Julian Carroll, John Y. Brown, and Martha Layne Collins, as well as to U.S. Senator and Governor Wendell Ford. He also advised his brother-in-law, former Cincinnati Mayor and U.S. Congressman David Mann. Appointed by three governors, Phil chaired the Kentucky Personnel Board and served as a Trustee of Northern Kentucky University.
In 1984, Phil received a Covington Restoration Award for his renovations of the Daniel Carter Beard Home, one of Northern Kentucky’s two National Historic Landmarks. Purchasing the home marked the beginning of Phil’s passion and advocacy for the Boy Scouts of America. Phil spearheaded the development of the Boy Scout Plaza, where a bronze statue of Daniel Beard is now a mainstay along the Dan Beard Council River Walk.
Phil also played a key role in shaping Cincinnati’s 1988 Bicentennial Celebration as a member of its Executive Committee, where he ensured that Northern Kentucky was fully represented. His leadership, creativity, and tireless fundraising helped leave a lasting legacy for the entire region.
Whether eating out at his favorite restaurants, Walt’s Hitching Post or Sake Bomb, attending services at Erlanger Baptist Church, or sharing his life-changing experiences on the Emmaus Walk, Phil demonstrated an uncanny ability to connect with people, making innumerable friends wherever he traveled in the world.

Phil will be deeply missed by the entire legal community and all that knew him. I have had the opportunity to work with Phil and accept referrals from him through the years. I am blessed to call Phil a friend.

– Michael Bouldin