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Elk & Elk names James (Jay) Kelley co-managing partner
Published: May 25, 2018
CLEVELAND––The law firm of Elk & Elk recently announced that Partner James (Jay) Kelley III has been named co-managing partner of the multi-state personal injury firm, along with Arthur M. Elk, the current managing partner. David J. Elk, Arthur’s brother and co-founder of the firm, will continue in his role as senior partner.
Elk & Elk employs approximately 100 people, including medical professionals, and 21 attorneys focusing on a variety of injury matters including medical negligence, birth injury, auto, trucking, personal injury, pharmaceutical mass torts and class action claims.
Founded in 1979, the firm has grown steadily over the decades representing clients primarily in Ohio. It now also has offices in Kentucky and the state of Washington. With over 20,000 clients successfully represented and over $1 billion recovered on their behalf, the firm is well positioned for continued growth.
“My brother and I founded this firm to bring outstanding legal representation to citizens of Ohio,” said Arthur Elk. “The growth has been exciting, but most rewarding has been blending our family values with the resources of a large firm to get the best possible outcomes for clients who might otherwise not have had access to justice.
“I look forward to working with Jay in his expanded role,” said Elk. “He is an incredible lawyer who has become a trusted advisor over the years. Beyond representing our clients, he is dedicated to our employees, our firm vision and our community. Over the last several years, he has participated in the business, legal and philanthropic efforts of our firm. I am excited to work side by side with him as we continue to represent our clients.”
Kelley joined Elk & Elk in 2002 and was made the firm’s first equity partner in 2010. He dedicates his practice to catastrophic claims arising from medical malpractice, focusing on maternal health and birth-related injuries.
Kelley has authored chapters on medical-legal risk management in medical texts, including the 6th and 7th editions of Comprehensive Gynecology, and has served as a reviewer in Mosby’s Pocket Guide to Fetal Monitoring. Jay lectures internationally to medical and legal groups, including the March of Dimes, on patient safety and improvement of medical and legal systems. He has previously chaired the medical malpractice division of Ohio Association of Justice, and served on the Board of the Cleveland Academy of Trial Attorneys.
Kelley has won numerous awards, including being recognized as a top lawyer in the United States and Ohio by multiple organizations: 10 Best Attorneys for Ohio, American Institute of Personal Injury Attorneys 2016-present; Top 10 Ohio Super Lawyers 2010-2015; Top 100 Ohio Super Lawyers 2009- present; Super Lawyers, Lifetime Achievement, America’s Top 100 Attorneys; and Martindale Hubbell, where he has a top “AV Preeminent” peer review rating. Kelley’s extensive courtroom experience includes more than 75 jury trials in Ohio and New Jersey. He has personally assisted his clients in recovering more than $250 million in his 15 years at Elk & Elk.
He is a graduate of The College of Wooster and University of Akron School of Law. Previously he served as an Assistant County Prosecutor in Summit County; worked at Jacobson, Maynard, Tuschman & Kalur LPA; and was a Partner with Reminger Co. LPA.
"I truly love what I do for a living,” said Jay. “I am fortunate to practice with talented people whom I respect as professionals and value as friends. I am excited to continue to build on the foundation Art and Dave have laid for us. The privilege of representing each client is this firm’s core value, and will remain so moving forward.”
Also instrumental in the growth of the firm has been John P. O’Neil, who joined Elk & Elk in 2012 as an equity partner. He is one of the firm’s leading medical malpractice and personal injury attorneys, with a practice focused primarily on death and catastrophic loss cases. Prior to joining Elk & Elk, John spent 14 years at one of Ohio’s top defense law firms, where he served as a practice area chair and member of the firm’s management committee and executive group. He also worked as a prosecutor in the Miami-Dade County (Florida) State Attorney’s Office. Over his career, John has successfully tried more than 80 jury trials in various areas of law, including medical malpractice, transportation, legal malpractice, premises liability and others. John’s first chair jury trials are in state and federal courts, and he has argued in the Eighth District Court of Appeals, Ohio Supreme Court and Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals. He is a Board Member of the Federal Bar Association (Northern District of Ohio).
O’Neill has been recognized as a top lawyer in the United States and Ohio by multiple organizations: Ohio Super Lawyers: 2012–2018; Top 50 Cleveland Super Lawyers: 2013-2014 and 2016-2018; Top 100 Ohio Super Lawyers: 2013-2014 and 2016-2018; National Trial Lawyers Top 100: 2015; America’s Top 100 Attorneys; and America’s Top 100 High Stakes Litigators.
He received his undergraduate degree from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, and his law degree from John Marshall Law School in Chicago.
“Jay and John have worked alongside Art and me to grow our firm, enhance our client service and give back to the community,” said David Elk. “They are clearly positioned to help carry our firm forward and to build on the strong foundation we have built over the past three-plus decades.”