Matthew Kelly concentrates his practice on professional liability defense and complex commercial litigation, as well as product liability defense matters involving pharmaceutical products, medical devices and consumer products. He serves as chair of the Product Liability practice group.

With deep experience in state and federal courts throughout the country, he also represents companies in commercial disputes involving breach of contract, as well as financial institutions in consumer financial services matters.

Matt handles cases from initial client meetings through trial and appeal. He has substantial experience drafting and arguing procedural and dispositive motions, conducting depositions and preparing complex matters for trial. In addition, he has experience overseeing electronic discovery involving hundreds of thousands of documents in complex litigation.

In every matter, he helps clients navigate complicated issues to ensure that their interests are protected with the goal of efficiently resolving their case.

Committed to giving back to the community, Matt represents low-income individuals in a variety of pro bono matters, including representing a French citizen whose daughter was the victim of an international abduction.

During law school, Matt was a member of two Loyola University Chicago School of Law moot court teams. Prior to beginning his law career, Matt served as a judicial intern and legislative aide.

Honors

  • Selected to Illinois Super Lawyers Rising Star, 2019

Professional & Civic Involvement

  • American Bar Association
  • Chicago Bar Association 

Practice Highlights

Representative Matters

  • Successfully resolved federal putative class action where client’s exposure exceeded $12 million.
  • Served as trial counsel representing a Fortune 500 engineering firm in commercial litigation where a $60-million-plus claim was being asserted. The case resolved favorably after three weeks of trial.
  • Served as national counsel for a generic pharmaceutical manufacturer in a nationwide litigation involving a well-known reflux medicine.
  • Represented a Fortune 500 company in a Cook County, Illinois, action in which the plaintiff alleged sustained traumatic brain injury and sought more than $7 million in damages. His client contributed no money toward settlement.
  • Obtained dismissal with prejudice ruling for medical device manufacturer in a Cook County litigation involving allegations that the device caused the plaintiff to suffer thermal burns and severe injury to her internal organs.
  • Authored successful motion for summary judgment leading to the dismissal of a case involving a generic pharmaceutical manufacturer client.
  • Successfully obtained dismissal for a medical device manufacturer in an Illinois federal court litigation involving allegations that the client’s cardiac surgical device caused the plaintiff permanent loss of cardiac function and the amputation of multiple fingers.
  • Obtained summary judgment and dismissal for a health care client in a Cook County wrongful death action.
  • Obtained a directed verdict for two physicians in a Cook County medical malpractice trial involving an alleged nerve transection during an orthopedic shoulder surgery.
  • Obtained summary judgment in Cook County on behalf of a health care client in a premises action involving allegations that a dangerous condition caused the plaintiff to sustain injury to his lower extremity.
  • Successfully mediated a wrongful death action involving a 26-year-old woman in Minneapolis, Minnesota, resulting in the client contributing no money to the settlement.

News & Events

Publications

Speaking Engagements

  • “Assessing the Impact of the Recent Supreme Court Session on the Drug and Medical Device Industry and Upcoming Preemption Battles,” 27th Annual ACI Conference on Drug & Medical Device Litigation, 2022

Co-Author

  • “Chapter 4: Duty,” Medical Malpractice, 2013 supplement, Illinois Institute of Continuing Legal Education, 2011 Edition

Contributing Editor

  • LexisNexis Practice Guide: Illinois Personal Injury Litigation, 2015 Edition
  • LexisNexis Practice Guide: Illinois Personal Injury Litigation, 2014 Edition