Member Bio
Mr. Kelley currently serves as President of DRI's Center for Law and Public Policy. From 2018-2019, he served as President of DRI after having been a member of DRI's national board of directors. He served for two years as chair of DRI's Diversity Committee.
He represents large public corporations and medium-sized businesses in complex commercial disputes. He concentrates in general commercial litigation, construction litigation, professional and product liability, business torts, and insurance coverage for clients in numerous industry, including: offshore wind, manufacturing, retail, real estate, and automotive. He has trial experience in the state and federal courts in Maryland and the District of Columbia.
Mr. Kelley serves the legal professional in a variety of capacities. In addition to his service to DRI, he is also a past president of the board of directors of the Maryland Defense Counsel, Inc.
Since 2009, Mr. Kelley has been named by Maryland Super Lawyers magazine as a leader for his business litigation practice.
Community Service
Mr. Kelley has played a lead role in organizing events for the Just The Beginning Foundation (JTBF), a national non-profit foundation dedicated to promoting greater diversity in the field of law. He was a member of the JTBF Conference Executive Planning Committee on behalf of the State of Maryland, and in this capacity helped organize its eighth biennial conference, which took place in Washington in 2008.
Mr. Kelley regularly represents clients on a pro bono basis. He recently served as co-counsel with Legal Aid in a large case arising from the City of Baltimore’s plans to raze low-income housing in West Baltimore to make room for a multi-billion dollar development. On behalf of the residents, Mr. Kelley and co-counsel sued the city in federal court, alleging violations of the Fair Housing Act; the claims were resolved favorably for the plaintiffs.
Mr. Kelley has also worked to combat inner-city poverty by encouraging entrepreneurship among young people. He has served on an advisory board of the Sylvan Beach Foundation, a nonprofit that teaches at-risk youth business strategy and entrepreneurial skills, with the goal that each participant in the foundation’s program will establish a business. In particular, Mr. Kelley advised Taharka Brothers Ice Cream, a successful Sylvan Beach venture run by Baltimore youth.
After graduating from William and Mary Law School, Mr. Kelley served as judicial law clerk to The Honorable Andrew Sonner of the Maryland Court of Special Appeals.