Liskow Shareholder Kelly Scalise has been selected to New Orleans CityBusiness’ Leadership in Law 2017.
Kelly has wanted to be a lawyer since 6th grade, completing her undergraduate studies in 3 years to reach law school earlier. Her goal as a lawyer is to be a professional advocate for her clients. Since a young age, she has realized the difference lawyers can make, whether securing an important victory for a client or volunteering at a high school civics class. Kelly believes the power of the law is an important responsibility. She says, “Lawyers need to treat that power with care and use it to better their clients, bench and bar, and community.”
Kelly is a working mother of 3, determined to teach her boys the value of a career. While an ideal balance for work and family is challenging, she strives every day to strike one. Not only is Kelly a successful working mother, but she is also very active in her community. She is currently President of the New Orleans Chapter of the Federal Bar Association, the largest chapter in the country, and Chair of the Admiralty Law Section of the Federal Bar Association, a national section that she co-founded.
Kelly’s practice is focused on the areas of admiralty, insurance, tort defense, and products liability defense litigation. She represents clients in admiralty and land-based tort actions, in vessel collisions and other admiralty matters, in products liability defense matters, and in premises liability actions. She also advises clients on contract negotiations and indemnity issues.
Kelly received her undergraduate degree, summa cum laude, from Louisiana State University in 1997, and her Juris Doctor, Order of the Coif, from the Paul M. Hebert, Louisiana State University Law Center in 2000. She served as senior editor of Louisiana Law Review, and served as a law clerk to the Honorable James L. Dennis, Judge, United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, from 2000–2001.
Since 2005, CityBusiness has published a special edition of the publication profiling 50 area attorneys, court-associated professionals, and educators who have established themselves as leaders through their distinctive professional contributions and community involvement, and has spotlighted several of Greater New Orleans’ most prominent leaders in the legal field.