Brian A. Kelly is vice-chair of the Insurance division of Duane Morris' Trial Practice Group. Mr. Kelly represents clients in connection with commercial, environmental and insurance matters. Mr. Kelly is a trial attorney with extensive jury and court trial experience. His practice involves counseling clients in all stages of risk, and he is frequently retained before a lawsuit is filed in an effort to manage risk. Mr. Kelly has extensive experience representing clients in arbitrations, mediations and all other types of alternative dispute resolution. In all engagements, Mr. Kelly works closely with his clients to achieve defined goals in the most cost-effective manner.

Mr. Kelly advises and represents clients in a wide range of issues and lawsuits from contractual issues and insurance coverage to toxic torts and environmental claims. He is regularly retained as trial and appellate counsel in complex litigation in state and federal courts throughout the country. Mr. Kelly also represents product manufacturers, industry groups and their associations in administrative, state and federal court proceedings relating to environmental impacts, product use restrictions and compliance with state and federal environmental regulations, including NEPA, CEQA, Clean Water Act and CERCLA, among others.

Mr. Kelly is a member of the Bar Association of San Francisco and American Bar Association. Admitted to practice in California and Louisiana, he is a 1984 graduate of Loyola University School of Law and a graduate of California State University, Chico.

Representative Matters

• Walnut Creek Manor LLC v. Mayhew Center LLC, et al. (2009). Successfully prosecuted CERCLA and related state claims regarding disputed source of industrial solvent contamination and obtained a substantial jury verdict in favor of client.
• London Market Insurers v. Superior Court, (2007) 146 Cal. App 4th 648 (as lead trial and appellate counsel for London Market Insurers successfully argued key "number of occurrence" issue in asbestos insurance coverage matter involving more than one hundred million dollars of alleged liability)
• Pacific Rivers Council v. United States Forest Service, 2005 WL 2671404 (E.D. Ca. 2005) (represented industry association in NEPA and NFMA challenges by environmental groups and the state of California) to 2004 Sierra Framework.
• Personal Watercraft Coalition v. Board of Supervisors, (2002) 100 Cal.App.4th 129. (represented industry association and manufacturers in challenge to county use prohibition of personal watercraft)
• Aerojet-General Corporation v. American Excess Ins. Co., (2002) 97 Cal.App. 4th 387 (application of res judicata to prior judgment in favor of clients)
• J.H. Baxter & Co. v. Central National Ins. Co. (2001) 20 P.3d 967 (prevailed in forum battle in complex coverage case)
• Lake Tahoe Watercraft Recreation Association v. Tahoe Regional Planning Agency, 24 F. Supp.2d 1062 (1998) (challenge to bi-state agency's emission regulation regarding watercraft and two-stroke engine technology)
• Aerojet-General Corporation v. Transport Ind. Co., (1998) 17 Cal.4th 38 (served as trial and appellate counsel in upholding defense verdict on multimillion-dollar coverage dispute following a several-month jury trial)

Areas of Practice

• Trial
• Insurance Coverage and Risk Management
• Environmental
• Commercial Litigation
• Insurance and Reinsurance

Admissions

• California

Education

• Loyola University School of Law, J.D., 1984
• California State University, B.A., 1980

Other Experience

• Duane Morris LLP
  - Partner, 2006-present
• Hancock Rothert & Bunshoft LLP
  - Partner, 1993-2005
  - Associate, 1986-1992
• Courtenay, Forstall, Grace & Hebert
  - Associate, 1984-1986

Professional Activities

• Bar Association of San Francisco
• American Bar Association

Honors / Awards

• AV® Preeminent™ Peer Review Rated by Martindale-Hubbell

Publications

• Featured in "Q&A with Duane Morris' Brian Kelly," Law360, May 7, 2013
• Co-author, "Is the World Becoming a Riskier or Safer Place?" Property Casualty360, August 11, 2011

Speaking Engagements

• "Expert Depositions," Practising Law Institute's Taking and Defending Depositions 2011, San Francisco, June 8, 2011
• "Complex Litigation," University of California, Berkeley School of Law, International Executive Legal Education Program, Berkeley, Summer 2010
• "Expert Depositions," Practising Law Institute's Taking and Defending Depositions 2010, San Francisco, June 9, 2010
• "Real World Consequences of Number of Occurrence Determinations," Mealey's 5th Annual Advanced Insurance Coverage Conference, Philadelphia, January 22-23, 2007