John Kelly practiced as a trial lawyer in Maine for five decades from 1967 until his retirement.
John received his undergraduate degree from Colby College and his law degree from Georgetown University. John worked for several years on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. as a Congressional Legislative and Administrative Assistant before he joined the Criminal Division of the Attorney General’s office in Maine.
John began civil law practice in 1969 in Portland involving both defense and prosecution of civil litigation matters. As an active leader in his profession, John was elected President of the Maine Trial Lawyers Association, the Maine State Bar Association and the Maine Bar Foundation. John also served on a number of court and governmental advisory committees. In recognition of his professional leadership, John was a recipient of the Howard H. Dana Award.
John is a former chair of the board and is now a life trustee of the Board of Trustees of College of the Atlantic and a founding member of the Eco-Eco Public Policy Forum initiated at the College. In addition, John was Vice Chair of the Board of Gulf of Maine Research Institute.
While in practice, John had the highest Martindale-Hubbell rating of AV. An AV rating reflects an attorney who has reached the heights of professional excellence. The attorney has usually practiced law for many years, and is recognized for the highest levels of skill and integrity.
