Timothy W. Kelly
Timothy W. Kelly, Of Counsel
Attorney Timothy W. Kelly is an experienced, innovative litigator who has obtained excellent results advocating for those injured by the negligence of others.
Owner of Kelly & Castagna Law Offices in Bloomington, Illinois for 27 years, Tim has represented countless families whose lives have been tragically changed because of medical malpractice or catastrophic injuries from automobile accident and workplace injuries. After retiring from his practice in January 2022, Tim joined Meyers & Flowers of counsel.
His experience and integrity as a lawyer is confirmed by his selection by fellow attorneys to act as a mediator in arbitrating more than 500 injury cases, most of them being medical malpractice.
I have the unique perspective of sitting down with the insurance company representatives and finding out how they evaluate cases: what cases scare them, what cases they want to settle and what cases they will take to trial. It has helped me tremendously in sorting through medical malpractice cases from a plaintiff’s point of view because I can look at a case and have a pretty good idea of how it will go.
Tim received his undergraduate degree from the University of Dayton and continued his education as a Flyer as he obtained his law degree. That same year he was licensed to practice law in Illinois. Less than ten years into his legal career, he was voted by his peers as one of the top three attorneys in McLean County.
His methodical approach has earned Tim superb results and numerous honors over his years of litigating. Concentrating his practice in personal injury and malpractice, he has obtained record verdicts in two downstate counties. He’s been selected by his peers as both an Illinois Super Lawyer, a distinction earned by only 5% of practicing attorneys nationwide, and an Illinois Leading Lawyer. He has been selected as one of the “Top 100 Trial Lawyers” by the National Trial Lawyers Association, “Author of the Year – Publications Department” by the Illinois Institute for Continuing Legal Education and was also recognized by Martindale-Hubbell with a rating of AV, the highest rating available.
He has published dozens of articles and books regarding trial practice, is a past member of the Board of Directors of the Illinois Institute of Continuing Legal Education and served on the Board of Managers of the Illinois Trial Lawyers Association from 1992 to 2014. He is a past President of the McLean County Bar Association and the Illinois Bar Foundation. He continues to be actively involved in the Illinois State Bar Association, American Trial Lawyers Association, and was appointed by the Chief Justice of the Illinois Supreme to Chair the Court’s Commission on Access to Justice.
BAR ADMISSIONS:
- Illinois, 1978
- 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, 1993
- U.S. District Court
- Central District of Illinois, 1979
- Eastern District of Wisconsin, 1990
- Northern District of Illinois, 1979
- Southern District of Illinois, 1979
- U.S. Court of Federal Claims, 1998
LAW SCHOOL:
University of Dayton School of Law, J.D., 1978
UNDERGRADUATE SCHOOL:
University of Dayton, B.S., 1975
BAR/PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATION INVOLVEMENT:
- Illinois State Bar Association
- Elected assembly member (1995-2000)
- Civil Practice & Procedure Section Council Chair (1998-1999)
- Tort Law Section Council (1995 – 1997 and 2000 – Present)
- Chair (2008-2009)
- Allerton House Steering Committee (1994, 1996, 1998, 2000-02)
- Special Committee on Judicial Discipline (1997-1998)
- Task Force on the Allocation of Judges in Illinois (1998-2000)
- Special Committee on ISBA Facilities (2000)
- Special Committee on Collaborative Law (2013)
- Illinois Trial Lawyers Association
- Board of managers (1992 – Present)
- Continuing Legal Education Committee (1995-1996)
- Executive Committee (1996-1997)
- Chairman, Insurance Law Committee (1996-1998)
- Chairman, Product Liability and Insurance Law Committee (1998-2000)
- Chairman, Seminar Planning (2002)
- American Trial Lawyers Association
- McLean County Bar Association
- Secretary (1983-1984)
- Chicago Bar Association
- Illinois Bar Foundation
- Second Vice President (2016-2017)
- Illinois Institute of Continuing Legal Education
- Board of directors (2000-Present)
- Illinois Supreme Court Access to Justices Commission
- Commissioner (2012-Present)
AWARDS; HONORS; DISTINCTIONS:
- Voted by peers as one of the “Top Three Attorneys in McLean County,” Business to Business Magazine (1997)
- Law & Leading Attorneys for Illinois (1996-Present)
- Super Lawyers “Super Lawyer” (2006 – Present)
- Marquis “Who’s Who in American Law” (2000-Present)
- Martindale-Hubbell rating of AV, highest rating available (1993-Present)
- Illinois Institute for Continuing Legal Education “Author of the Year – Publications Department” (2008)
- National Trial Lawyers Association “Top 100 Trial Lawyers” (2013-Present)
- Leading Lawyers “Leading Lawyer” (2012-Present)
- Personal Injury Law: General
- Personal Injury Law: Professional Malpractice
- Personal Injury Plaintiff’s Law: Product Liability
- ADR Law: Personal Injury