Kelley joined the firm at its inception after several years of practicing with one of Louisiana’s oldest and most respected law firms. Kelley joined Mansfield Melancon to further the firm’s goal of providing a personal touch in representing those injured through no fault of their own and helping clients recover the compensation they deserve.

Kelley earned his Bachelor of Science in Construction Management from Louisiana State University. Before becoming a lawyer, Kelley was employed as a project manager/estimator/engineer for a national marine and heavy civil construction company, where he aided in the estimating, bidding, execution, and completion of various construction projects in South Louisiana. Kelley draws on his real-world knowledge and experience in the construction industry to represent clients injured in the workplace, on the job site, and in industrial facilities throughout Louisiana. Because of his technical experience and training, Kelley is uniquely qualified to represent individuals who suffer catastrophic injuries as a result of construction and industrial work, both over the water and on land.

After his time in the construction industry, Kelley attended law school at the Southern University Law Center, where he graduated first in his class for the full-time day division in 2015. He served as the Executive Editor of the Southern University Law Review and was a member of the Southern University Moot Court Board, the Grade Appeals Committee, and the Phi Alpha Delta Law Fraternity. Since graduating, Kelley has served his alma mater as an Adjunct Professor of Law and as an honorary member of the Louisiana Law Institute.

For six straight years from 2018 through 2023, Kelley was ranked by his peers among the Louisiana Super Lawyers,Rising Stars.The Super Lawyers Rising Stars publication recognizes less than 2.5 % of outstanding attorneys in Louisiana nominated and acknowledged by their peers as having high ethical standards and demonstrative success and achievement in their field of practice.

Kelley is an active member of the community and his profession. Kelley currently serves as a Director at Large on the board of directors of the Baton Rouge Bar Association, and he has previously served on the membership committee of the Louisiana Association for Justice (LAJ). In addition to the BRBA and LAJ, Kelley is a past or present member of the Louisiana State Bar Association, the Federal Bar Association, the Greater Baton Rouge Chapter of the American Subcontractors Association, and the American Bar Association Forum on Construction Law.  

Kelley is admitted to practice in all Louisiana state courts, in the United States District Courts for the Middle, Eastern, and Western Districts of Louisiana, and the United States Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. Having practiced in front of every level of Louisiana’s judicial system, from various District Courts to the Louisiana Supreme Court, Kelley’s extensive litigation experience adds unique value to your case.