John Kelly is an associate attorney and member of the Business, Corporate, and Transactional Team who joined the firm in September 2023. His practice focuses on mergers and acquisitions, corporate governance and compliance, real estate sales and investments, commercial leases, and business contracts.
Outside the legal profession, John enjoys spending time with his wife, Courtney, his son, Asher, and their labradoodle, Byron. When not with his family, he can often be found in the ocean or watching Anaheim Ducks games.
John began his legal career as a file clerk in 2017, working in the mergers and acquisitions department at a mid-sized law firm in Irvine. There, he quickly rose through the ranks, becoming a key paralegal for the department within a year. His experience includes representing and advising business clients in acquisition and sale matters, as well as participating extensively in a broad range of business and transactional planning projects. These projects have included reorganizations, business succession planning, risk management and allocation, client entity compliance with applicable state and federal laws, and real estate investments and holdings.
John earned his law degree from Chapman University in 2023, with an emphasis in Business Law. While attending law school, he received multiple awards for earning the highest marks in his Mergers & Acquisitions, Practice Foundations: Transactions, and Business Associations courses. Prior to law school, he earned a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of California, Santa Barbara.
Honors & Memberships
Orange County Bar Association
BNI
BAR Admissions
California
Education
JD, Chapman University Dale E. Fowler School of Law
BA, University of California, Santa Barbara
Languages Spoken
English