Patrick Kelly Named to Daily Journal’s Top 100 Lawyers in California for Second Year

Patrick M. Kelly, managing partner of Wilson Elser’s West Coast region,  has been named to the Daily Journal’s list of the “Top 100 Lawyers in California” for the second year in a row. The list was published in the September 11, 2013 issue of the Daily Journal, a leading legal newspaper in California.

The list, which is in its 16th year, is comprised of attorneys “whose work is having the widest impact and not just on their careers or their firm’s bottom line. [The publication] seeks to honor work that is changing an industry or the law or the society as a whole.”

Mr. Kelly is a veteran trial lawyer who focuses his practice on advising and representing insurance carriers in coverage matters and defending individuals and companies in high-stakes professional liability and commercial cases.

His practice also encompasses insurance bad faith, insurance coverage, product liability, premises liability, employment litigation, ski resort liability and railroad liability matters. He has particular experience with class actions involving directors and officers (D&O) liability, product liability, employment and consumer fraud claims.  

Among many of Mr. Kelly’s leadership positions, he serves as president of the California State Bar, the largest state bar in the country. Under his leadership, the state bar has improved access to justice by 1) seeking and receiving additional funding for the courts; 2) revising bar admission and MCLE requirements; 3) pressing for a civility requirement in the attorney oath; 4) sponsoring legislation to protect immigrants and other members of the public from unscrupulous and unlicensed practitioners; 5) improving the California attorney discipline system; 6) and reaching out to the most junior and most senior attorneys.

He is also a past president of the Professional Liability Underwriting Society (PLUS) and is a fellow of the International Academy of Trial Lawyers. 

Mr. Kelly’s complete bio is available on the firm website.  

Wilson Elser, a full-service and leading defense litigation law firm (www.wilsonelser.com), serves its clients with nearly 800 attorneys in 24 offices in the United States and through a network of affiliates in key regions globally.  Founded in 1978, it ranks among the top 200 law firms identified by The American Lawyer and is included in the top 50 of The National Law Journal's survey of the nation’s largest law firms.  Wilson Elser serves a growing, loyal base of clients with innovative thinking and an in-depth understanding of their respective businesses.