Kelley, who was recently recognized for her pro bono efforts, has been handling complex civil and commercial litigation for over 18 years. She has represented sophisticated clients in a wide variety of business and transactional disputes in court, on appeal and at the administrative/agency level. She is a Director of the firm and a member of the Construction, Employment Litigation and Litigation Groups.
Prior to joining Cohen & Grigsby in 2003, Kelley was a Partner in the Naples office of the law firm of Cummings & Lockwood, LLC.
Kelley focuses her practice in the areas of complex business and commercial litigation, construction and real estate litigation, business torts and contractual disputes, employment litigation with an emphasis on representing employers, and probate and trust litigation.
She has participated in a long list of professional organizations, including the Collier County Bar Association, the Thomas S. Biggs Chapter of the American Inns of Court, the Florida Bar (Trial Lawyers Section), the American Bar Association, the Florida Gulf Coast University Justice Studies Advisory Board, Legal Aid Service of Collier County and The Naples Players. Kelley has served in leadership roles for many of these organizations.
She served as president, president-elect, treasurer and secretary of the Collier County Bar Association from 1999 to 2006; president of the Collier County Bar Association's Young Lawyers Section in 1998-1999; member of the Board of Directors for the Collier County Bar Association from 1996-2006; president, president-elect, secretary/treasurer of the Thomas S. Biggs Chapter of the American Inns of Court, from 1999-2002; member and chairman of the Florida Bar Twentieth Judicial Circuit Grievance Committee for Collier County in 2001-2004; and as a member and chairman of the Florida Real Estate Appraisal Board from 1992-1996. She was appointed to the Florida Real Estate Appraisal Board by Governor Lawton M. Chiles.
Kelley is also a member of the Board of Directors for the Collier County Bar Association Foundation, the Board of Directors for The Naples Players and is active with the Legal Aid Service of Collier County. While president of the Collier County Bar Association, Kelley founded the "Collier Lawyers Care" Program, the pro-bono program administered by the Collier County Bar Association and the Legal Aid Service of Collier County. Kelley has been a supporter of the Legal Aid Service of Collier County for many years, and has been an active participant with Collier Lawyers Care since 2004. Kelley currently sits on the Board of Directors for the Legal Aid Service of Collier County and is a member of the Twentieth Judicial Circuit Pro-Bono Committee.
Kelley is listed in Florida Super Lawyers and in Florida Super Lawyers, Corporate Counsel Edition. She was also named Attorney of the Month for May 2008 by the Legal Aid Service of Collier County. The award recognizes Kelley's numerous contributions to the organization, including the creation of a Foreclosure Task Force to help those at risk of losing their homes. She also assisted with the Wills for Heroes program that provides assistance with wills and health care directives free of charge to veterans and their spouses.
Jeffrey Ahren, Pro bono Coordinator for the LASCC, said, "She uses her talent, her experience and her vast network of professional contacts to assist Legal Aid in any way she can. She is a highly effective leader who has the vision necessary to turn ideas into action.''