Experience to Judge, Knowledge to Judge
Overview
John J. VanderToll has 22 years of experience as a practicing attorney since his graduation from the University of Louisville Louis D. Brandeis School of Law in 1988. For the last nine years, John VanderToll has been in private practice in Louisville, Kentucky. A unique combination of having prior experience as both a public defender and a prosecuting attorney, this has enabled him to provide valued experience in the courtroom for his clients throughout Jefferson County and surrounding areas.
John J. VanderToll looks to build on his dedication to the justice system and the community be serving as a Jefferson County Circuit Judge.
Experience in Law Practice
After graduating from the University of Louisville Louis D. Brandeis School of Law, VanderToll’s first position was as an assistant Public Defender at the Louisville-Jefferson County Public Defender’s office. After marrying in 1990 and moving to Shelby County, VanderToll became Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney for Shelby, Spencer and Anderson counties in Kentucky in which he prosecuted felony cases ranging from drug offenses to murder.
Looking to broaden his breadth and depth of education, VanderToll returned to school to receive his Masters degree in Healthcare Administration, M.H.A., from the University of Kentucky in 1995. Additionally, VanderToll earned a Masters degree in Health Law from DePaul University in Chicago, Illinois in 1996. In May of 1996, VanderToll began work for Humana Inc. in Louisville, Kentucky.
In 1998, VanderToll became Senior Government Attorney at Beverly Enterprises, Inc., one of the nation’s largest nursing home companies at the time, headquartered in Ft. Smith, Arkansas. There, he provided legal counsel to the health services company.
After almost three years in Arkansas, VanderToll moved his family “home” to Louisville and opened his own legal practice in 2001. For almost a decade, VanderToll has worked in private practice to provide legal counsel to Louisville-area residents with cases involving personal injury, workers’ compensation, criminal defense and family law issues.
Childhood
John J. VanderToll is the grandson of a Dutch immigrant whose hard work and determination led him from the life of a non-English speaking blacksmith apprentice to the owner of the Bremner Biscuit Company in Louisville, Kentucky. Born in Rochester, Minnesota where his physician father – a Louisville Male High and University of Louisville School of Medicine graduate – completed his Fellowship at the Mayo Clinic, John J. VanderToll was raised in Munster, Indiana, a suburb of Chicago, Illinois. An avid sports fan, VanderToll was active in high school activities and played varsity basketball at Munster High School where he graduated in 1979. In 1980, his parents moved the family back to his father’s hometown in Louisville when his father accepted a faculty position in the Department of Surgery at the University of Louisville School of Medicine.
Education
John J. VanderToll attended Hope College, a distinguished liberal arts college located in Holland, Michigan. Known for outstanding pre-professional training, it was at Hope that VanderToll developed an interest in law and serving the community. VanderToll graduated from Hope College in 1983, earning his Bachelor’s degree in Political Science. He continued his studies at the University of Louisville’s School of Law where he received his Juris Doctor degree in 1988. VanderToll was accepted into the Martin School of Public Policy and Administration at the University of Kentucky, and earned a Masters degree in Healthcare Administration from there in 1995. VanderToll furthered his education by earning a Masters degree in Health Law from DePaul University’s College of Law in Chicago in 1996. While at DePaul, he also served on the editorial board of the Journal of Health and Hospital Law.
Family
John J. VanderToll and his wife, Lani were married in 1990. Lani is Manager of Marketing and Communications at Jewish Hospital & St. Mary’s HealthCare, Inc. and is actively involved in many community organizations including Women 4 Women and the Heuser Hearing Institute (formerly Louisville Deaf and Oral School) where she is a board member. An avid tennis player, Lani serves on the USTA local league board, the Tennis Association of Louisville, Kentucky. John and Lani are the proud parents of three sons, Jack, Hunt and Henry Peter, all of whom are students at Christian Academy of Louisville. The VanderTolls are members of Southeast Christian Church.
Community
A member of the Louisville Bar Association’s 2010 Leadership Academy, John J. VanderToll has been active in various community service initiatives including Habitat of Humanity and the Legal Aid Society. He is the former vice president of his community board association and still serves as a board member and chairman of the architectural review committee. He is a member of the Kentucky Bar Association and the Louisville Bar Association. He also has served as a volunteer basketball coach in the intramural league at Christian Academy of Louisville.
