Thomas J. Kelley

Judge Kelley was unprepared and made decisions on my case without reviewing the evidence. He also got mad when I said that I had experienced abuse.

Judge Kelley is one of the best Judges to appear in front of in the domestic relations court. He is prepared, knowledgeable, allows for argument, and willing to make a decision. He treats attorneys and litigants with respect. The Domestic Relations Division is a better place because of him. Attorneys can count on him knowing the law and applying it judicially. He is also not afraid to go outside the box to find a resolution for the parties.

Judge Kelley is absolutely one of the best Judges I have appeared before in my forty years of practice. He is punctual, prepared, fair and courteous. He treats attorneys and litigants with respect. He takes the time to read all of the pleadings and his decisions are concise and correct. He should teach a course on judicial demeanor. The Domestic Relations Division is a better place because of him. Now retired, it was a pleasure to practice in front of him.

Elaborating on my last post, Judge Kelley gets a sense of power by picking on those he sees as weaker and downtrodden. I was a woman whose case was in front of him and had an attorney. Judge Kelley was very demeaning talked down to me and shut me and my attorney down when I indicated that I experienced domestic violence and he didn’t know anything about my situation anything about my situation. Judge Kelley kept continuing the case and driving up my fees. Avoid at all costs. Tell your attorney to file and get a new judge.

Judge Kelley relies on his "gut" when making decisions. He rarely reads pleadings, caselaw, and exhibits submitted by litigants and cuts attorneys off and easily becomes impatient. Consequently, it's very difficult to get a fair or accurate ruling/recommendation with this Judge, and Judge Kelley often makes decisions based on incorrect facts. Judge Kelley also plays favorites with certain attorney and treats some attorneys poorly.