Rachel Yavelak

Areas of Practice: Criminal Defense; Family Law.

Rachel is originally from Eastern Ohio.  She graduated Georgetown College with a B.A. with Honors in 1996, and then attended veterinary school at Ohio State University until 1999.  She obtained her Juris Doctorate from the University of Kentucky College of Law in 2002.

Rachel was first sworn in to the West Virginia Bar in 2002 and then to the Kentucky Bar in 2003. She is licensed to practice in both state and federal courts in Kentucky and in West Virginia and in the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals.  Rachel has practiced in the fields of criminal, family and probate law for the past 20 years.

Her family law practice includes but is not limited to divorce, child custody, child support, timesharing and visitation, adoption, maintenance, guardianship, dependency and abuse cases as well as domestic violence cases, and appeals.  She has successfully conducted family court trials as well as mediations.  In family law, Rachel believes that often enabling each party to have his/her say goes a long way in resolving matters in the best interest of her clients. Rachel also has developed her practice in Wills and Estates, Probate Matters, and Will contests.

Additionally, Rachel  practices criminal defense in both state and federal courts.  She handles felonies and misdemeanors including but not limited to cases involving drugs, guns, sexual assault, wire fraud, white collar crimes, murder, as well as cases designated as complex and appeals, and she has developed good working relationships with prosecutors and law enforcement alike.  Often, it is these types of relationships that contribute to a quality outcome for her clients.  She has won multiple trials as well as suppression issues in federal court and in state court.

Rachel’s focus is on her client no matter what type of case she is handling for him or her.  She stays available to her client even on weekends and holidays by providing her cell phone.  Rachel knows emergencies don’t always happen between 9-5.  While she cannot guarantee a particular results, she does  promise to work hard to meet each client’s particular needs. Rachel is a member of the American Bar Association as well as the Kentucky and West Virginia State Bar Associations and the NADCL.

Rachel has been on the Board of Central Kentucky Riding for Hope, and she is actively involved in Football Boosters.  When not working, she enjoys spending time with her son, coaching youth sports,  and traveling.