Judge Michael Cornell Kelley received his A.B. summa cum laude, phi beta kappa, with a trustees award for highest 4-year GPA from the University of Southern California in 1976 and his J.D. from Yale Law School in 1979. After passing the California bar in 1979, he worked at Kadison, Pfaelzer, Woodard, Quinn, and Rossi first as an associate and then as a partner before joining Sidley Austin as a partner in 1987. His work in private practice focused on commercial litigation, securities litigation, and SEC enforcement. He was elevated to multiple leadership roles at Sidley Austin including being a member of the Executive Committee, Los Angeles Office Managing Partner and Co-Managing Partner, head of the Los Angeles Litigation Group, and Global Co-Leader of the Accountants Professional Liability Practice. He was also involved in several organizations, including being a member of the board of the directors of the Library Foundation of Los Angeles, board of governors of the USC/Los Angeles County Bar Association for Corporate Counsel, board of directors of the California Club, board of directors of the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce, fellow of the American Bar Association, and board of governors of the Association of Business Trial Lawyers. He was appointed to the bench in 2018 by Governor Edmund G. Brown. He is a democrat.
Author
Walking with the Wind – Los Angeles Daily Journal
“Dodd-Frank’s Whistleblower Provisions: The Challenges of Balancing Self-Regulation and Government Enforcement" - Los Angeles County Bar Association Annual Securities Conference (October 2011) (co-author with Brent W. Wilner)
“Securities Litigation – Selected Developments" - Los Angeles County Bar Association Annual Securities Regulation Conference (October 2009) (Co-author with Jodi E. Lopez)
“Selected Developments in Securities Litigation" - Los Angeles County Bar Association Annual Securities Regulation Conference (October 2008) (Co-author with Jodi E. Lopez, Jennifer Lam and Anand Singh)
California Litigation Update: “Production of Privileged Material to Government Investigators to Secure Credit for Cooperation was ‘Coerced’ and Thus Not a Waiver for Purposes of Related Civil Litigation." (August 2008)
“Selected Developments in Securities Litigation" - Los Angeles County Bar Association Annual Securities Regulation Conference (October 2007) (Co-author with Garrett K. Craig and Robert B. Martin)
“Litigation & Stock Option Backdating: Cases, Claims and Battlefield Issues" - ABA Litigation Section Annual Meeting (April 2007) (Co-author with Brandon L. Paradise, Salvatore J. Graziano and Hannah E. Greenwald)
“Outline of Selected Recent Developments in Private Securities Litigation" - Los Angeles County Bar Association Annual Securities Regulation Conference (October 2005) (Co-author with Jodi E. Lopez)
“Recent Developments in Private Securities Litigation" - Los Angeles County Bar Association Annual Securities Regulation Conference (October 2004) (Co-author with Jodi E. Lopez and Jennifer A. Ratner)
“Pleading Issues in Private Securities Litigation" - Los Angeles County Bar Association Annual Securities Regulation Conference (October 2003) (Co-author with Marco Jimenez)
“Toward a National Statute of Limitations in 10b-5 Cases" - ABTL Report (1998)
Awards
Recognized as a leading lawyer in the 2011–2017 editions of The Best Lawyers in America in three fields: Commercial Litigation, Securities Litigation and SEC Enforcement
The International Who’s Who of Commercial Litigators 2012-2016
Daily Journal Top 100 Attorneys in California – 2013
2012 Board Member of the Year for Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce
Links
Los Angeles Superior Court - Courtroom Information
The Robing Room - Hon. Michael C. Kelley
Michael Kelley (California) - Ballotpedia
Governor Brown Appoints 6 Superior Court Judges - CA.gov
Michael C. Kelley - Pacific Council on International Policy
Brown Names Herin, Kelley, McGonigle to Los Angeles Superior Court - Metropolitan News-Enterprise