News

LOS ANGELES (August 1, 2012) – Patrick M. Kelly, managing partner of Wilson Elser’s Western region, has been elected president of the State Bar of California for 2012-2013. The California State Bar is the largest state bar in the United States, second in size only to the American Bar Association. 

Mr. Kelly, who currently chairs the bar board’s Planning and Budget Committee, will be sworn in as the 88th president of the 238,000-member organization at the bar’s Annual Meeting in October in Monterey, CA.

“We are proud of Pat and all that he has accomplished within our firm, and in the broader legal community,” shared Daniel J. McMahon, Wilson Elser chairman. “He is a consummate leader, working tirelessly to contribute to the success of the legal profession through his service on numerous industry boards and committees, and nonprofit organizations. The state bar is fortunate to have such a wonderful, committed visionary as its newly elected leader.”

Mr. Kelly has indicated that as president, he plans to continue the bar’s intolerance for lawyers who “behave badly” and are incompetent. In his new role, he also vows to do all he can to help lawyers become better trained and prepared for a career in law.

Mr. Kelly, who has been with Wilson Elser for 32 years and serves on the firm’s national Pro Bono Committee, also will seek to expand the bar’s pro bono and diversity initiatives. Diversity in the legal profession is an issue that has been important to him throughout his own legal career. In the mid-1980s, he was the first chair of the Los Angeles County Bar Association’s Minority Employment Committee.

Mr. Kelly was president of the Los Angeles County Bar Association in 1990-1991, and was appointed by Governor Pete Wilson to serve on the state bar’s Commission on Judicial Performance from 1995 through 2002.

Other notable positions that Mr. Kelly has held include:

• President - Professional Liability Underwriting Society, a nonprofit organization recognized as the primary source of professional liability educational programs and seminars, assistance to its members to help serve clients, and information regarding professional liability
• Fellow - International Academy of Trial Lawyers, a preeminent, invitation-only organization comprised of trial lawyers throughout the world. Membership is based on trial records that are well vetted by attorneys and judges, and is limited to only 500 trial lawyers from the United States.
• President - Dispute Resolution Services, the leading volunteer alternative dispute resolution (ADR) provider in California
• Member - Federation of Defense and Corporate Counsel, a leading defense organization in the U.S. Membership is by invitation only and is limited to only 1000 members.

A graduate of Pomona College (1966) and Loyola Law School (1969), Mr. Kelly has earned the coveted AV® Preeminent™ Rating by Martindale-Hubbell. He also has been selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America in the Commercial Litigation area, 2007-2012 and Southern California Super Lawyers, 2006-2012.

About Wilson Elser

Wilson Elser, a full-service and leading defense litigation law firm (www.wilsonelser.com), serves its clients with more than 800 attorneys in 23 offices in the United States and through a network of affiliates in key regions globally. Founded in 1978, it ranks among the top 100 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.