About Lawrence M
Lawrence M Kelly earned a Bachelor of Science in Finance from Santa Clara University in 1982 and a J.D. from Santa Clara University School of Law in 1985. He completed his legal education at a time when estate and real estate issues were becoming more complex. Those early academic years set the stage for a practice that weaves together probate, trusts and property law.
He began his legal career immediately after law school. In 1985 he joined Kelly, Leal & Kelly, a professional corporation, where he worked as an associate and later became a shareholder and lawyer. That decade and more in a group practice exposed him to contested and noncontested estate matters, transactional work and court practice. In 1997 he opened his own practice, operating as the Law Offices of Lawrence M. Kelly, Esq., and has run that office since then.
Over the years he has added professional credentials that inform his practice. The California State Bar Board of Legal Specialization has certified him as a specialist in Probate, Estate Planning and Trust Law. He is also a licensed real estate broker through the California Department of Real Estate and a notary public commissioned by the California Secretary of State. He is admitted to practice in California and is also admitted to appear before the U.S. Supreme Court.
His work has included both litigation and transactional matters. He has handled probate administration, trust administration, drafting of estate plans and deeds, and matters that intersect probate and real estate. He has represented executors, trustees and beneficiaries, and prepared documents intended to reduce post-death disputes and ease transfer of property. He has also advised clients on real property transactions and title-related issues when those matters touch estate plans.
Kelly has been active in local bar and charitable organizations. He has been a member of the California State Bar Association since 1985 and joined the Silicon Valley Bar Association around 2000, serving as a trustee from 2001 to 2008. He served on the board of Senior Adults Legal Assistance (SALA) from 1995 to 2014 and was president of the board from 2003 to 2006. In the Santa Clara County Bar Association he served as a trustee in the mid-1990s and held leadership roles in the Estate Planning, Probate and Trust Law Section through the late 1990s and 2000. He also held membership positions in the Sunnyvale-Cupertino Bar Association and the Silicon Valley Planned Giving Council.
He maintains his private practice in California, operating through the Law Offices of Lawrence M. Kelly, Esq., and continues to handle probate, estate planning, trust administration and related real estate matters.
