Attorney Elizabeth Kelley - United Defense Group


	Elizabeth Kelley, Esq. Senior Attorney of Counsel

		Ms. Kelley is a Cleveland-based attorney practicing in the area of criminal defense. With a tireless commitment to justice and exceptional legal skills, Elizabeth helps individuals navigate the criminal court system. An experienced trial attorney, Elizabeth Kelley provides clients throughout the state of Ohio with aggressive, quality representation. Just as importantly, Ms. Kelley is committed to treating clients with respect and consideration during what is often a difficult time for clients and their families. "I believe that the most precious concept in our legal system is that someone who is accused of a crime is innocent until proven guilty.
	I will fight to ensure that you or your loved one's constitutional rights are protected at every stage of the criminal process. I pride myself not only on working hard, but on treating my clients with respect and consideration during what is always a difficult time for them and their families." Degrees: B.A., Mills College, 1986 (President, Student Government) M.A., The University of Chicago, 1987 J.D., Case Western Reserve University School of Law, 1993 (President, Student Bar Association) Bar Admissions: U.S. Supreme Court; Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals; Federal District Court, Northern District of Ohio; Ohio. Bar Memberships: American Bar Association, Federal Bar Association, Cleveland Bar Association (Strategic Communications Committee, Publications Committee, Criminal Law Section, and Women in Law Section). Professional: National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (Member, Board of Directors, Life Member, Chair, New Member Services Committee; Member, Long Range Planning Committee) Ohio Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (Life Member); NORML (Legal Committee), Long-Range Planning Committee, Problem-Solving Courts Task Force. Current Practice: Private practice exclusively devoted to criminal defense at the trial and appellate levels in state and federal courts. Practice emphasizes representation of people with mental retardation and mental illness as well as post-conviction proceedings. Selected Professional Activity: Legal Commentary for CNN, CourtTV, and MSNBC. Monthly Column, "Practice Points," The Champion (magazine of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers). Moderator, Cleveland International Film Festival, Panel following "Songbird" (film profiling incarcerated women). Spring, 2006. Co-Presenter, Second International Conference on Abuse of Children and Adults with Disabilities, Riverside, California, Spring, 2003. Co-Presenter, "Invisible Defendants: People with Mental Retardation in the Criminal Justice System." International Conference, Young Adult Institute/National Institute for People With Disabilities, Spring, 2002. Panelist, "Capital Defendants: Psychological Mitigating Factors," Annual Meeting, American Academy of Psychiatry and Law, Fall, 2001. Author, Book Reviews for, The Federal Lawyer Inside: Life Behind Bars in America, March/April, 2007: The Money Lawyers, February, 2007: Back from the Dead: One Woman's Search for the Men Who Walked Off America's Death Row and The Strange Case of Hellish Nell: The Story of Helen Duncan and The Witch Trials of World War Two, December, 2006; The Devil's Advocates: Closing Arguments in Criminal Law, September, 2006. Federal Prison Guidebook, August, 2006; Courtroom 302 and Professional Responsibility in Criminal Defense Practice, July 2006; The Death of Innocents, February, 2006; Women's Lives Men's Laws, August, 2005; Life on the Outside, July, 2005 Author, Book Review for Trial Magazine, The Devil's Advocates: Closing Arguments in Criminal Law. Are you there Alone? The Unspeakable Crime of Andrea Yates, July, 2004; The Ultimate Punishment, February 2004. Co-Author, "A Question of Competency: Representing People With Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities," The Vindicator, Fall, 2001. Community Involvement: Board Member, The Cleveland Playhouse Board, Center for Mental Retardation (Chair, Legacy Luncheon, 2006, 20007). Member, The Union Club (Chair, Program Committee; Board, Union Club Foundation, Program Committee); The Junior League of Cleveland; Parishioner, St. Ann's Parish. Attorney Kelley can be reached at (800) 459-2500 or by email at Elizabeth.Kelley@UnitedDefenseGroup.com.