Jennifer J.C. Kelly
Jennifer Kelly grew up in northwest Indiana and learned the value of workers’ rights at an early age attending union meetings with her mom and dad. Her father was a member of Local 17 of the International Heat and Frost Insulators union, and her mom was a teacher and member of the American Federation of Teachers.
As a law student at DePaul University College of Law, Jennifer was an executive member of the Moot Court Society. She also received the CALI Award for Excellence in Trial Advocacy, an award given to the student with the highest grade in the class. During law school, she traveled to Chiapas, Mexico as part of a human rights program to assist the indigenous people of that region.
Early in her law career, Jennifer spent several years defending employers in workers’ compensation matters. After gaining valuable experience in defense, she transitioned to representing injured workers as an associate attorney at a prominent plaintiff personal injury firm in Chicago, where she was later elevated to partner. For nearly a decade, Jennifer routinely obtained significant recoveries for clients through trials and settlements.
Jennifer has also contributed to the legal community and the greater Chicago community through service. She was previously elected by her peers to join the Board of Directors of the Workers’ Compensation Lawyers Association (WCLA) and she served for many years as a board member of on the Young Professionals Board of the Chicago Bar Foundation. Jennifer was previously also a member of the Associate Board of Providence St. Mel School and was elected to serve for six years as a parent representative on the Local School Council of her children’s Chicago Public School.
At Ankin Law, Jennifer works side by side with the Director of Intake, Elliot Allen, to manage the intake department where she oversees almost a dozen staff members who do the important work of signing up cases for the firm every day and referring clients to law firms throughout the United States. Jennifer recognizes the vital role of the intake team to help clients feel comfortable during a difficult time, and to establish a foundation of trust in the early stages of their case.
