January 1, 2022, Timothy W. Kelly became Of Counsel for Kelly & Castagna to focus on spending more time with his family (especially his grandchildren!) and friends. As of 2026, Tim is now officially retired from the firm.
Timothy W. Kelly graduated from the University of Dayton School of Law in 1978. In 1997 he was voted by his peers as one of the top three attorneys in McLean County.
He is a Martindale-Hubbell AV rated attorney (the highest rating available) devoting 100% of his practice to litigation. Concentrating his practice in personal injury and malpractice, he has obtained record verdicts in two downstate counties. He has been listed in Law & Leading Attorneys since 1996 and in 2002 was named one of the top 5% of attorneys in Illinois.
He has also been recognized in Chicago Magazine as an Illinois “Super Lawyer.” He has published 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.
Founding Partner, Retired
Timothy W. Kelly
- Illinois Civil Pre-Trial Practice, James Publishing Company, (co-author of a two-volume manual on civil practice before trial, published November 2002)
- Illinois Causes of Action, Illinois Institute of Continuing Legal Education, 2002 (co-editor of a two-volume treatise)
- Laying Foundations for Introducing Evidence, Illinois Institute of Continuing Legal Education, 1991, revised, 1996 and 2000
- Proving and Disproving Damages in Personal Injury Cases: Damages in a Wrongful Death Case: Plaintiff’s Perspective, Illinois Institute of Continuing Legal Education, 1993
- Review of Recent Cases, Trial Briefs, Illinois State Bar Association, Vol. 34 No. 10, May 1989
- Review of Recent Cases, Tort Trends, Illinois State Bar Association, Vol. 31, No. 1, October 1995
- The Illinois Supreme Court Reaffirms the Common Fund Doctrine, Trial Briefs, Illinois State Bar Association, Vol. 42, No. 4, November 1996
- IPI No. 5.01 and Expert Witnesses, Tort Trends, Illinois State Bar Association, Vol. 32, No. 4, February 1997
- Real Estate Closings, Business to Business Magazine, September 1998
- The Demise of the Special Duty Exception to Local Governmental Tort Immunity, Trial Briefs, ISBA, Vol. 44 No. 5, June 1999
- Mandatory Arbitration: A Review of the Recent Cases, Illinois Bar Journal, March 2000
- Substitution of Judge as of Right; Tort Trends, Illinois State Bar Association, Vol. 41, No. 3, March 2006
publications
- Voted by peers as one of the “Top Three Attorneys in McLean County,” Business to Business Magazine, 1997
- Listed in Law & Leading Attorneys for Illinois, 1996-Present
- Named as an Illinois “Super Lawyer” by Chicago Magazine
- Marquis, Who’s Who in American Law, 2000 – Present
- Martindale-Hubbell, rating of AV (highest rating available) 1993 – Present
- IICLE Author of the Year – Publications Department, 2008
- Named by the National Trial Lawyers Association as a “Top 100 Trial Lawyers” for 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018
honors and awards
- Appointed by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court as the Chair of the Commission on Access to Justice in 2014
- Board of Directors. Chair of the Fellows 2014-2015. 2nd Vice-President, 2016. 1st Vice-President, 2017. President, 2018.
- President, 2015-2016
- Chair of the Fellows, 2014-2015
- Elected Assembly Member, 1995 to 2000; Member Civil Practice & Procedure Section Council, 1992 to 2001, Vice Chair 1997-98, Chair 1998-99; Tort Law Section Council, 1995 to 2010, Chair 2008-2009; Allerton House Steering Committee, 1994, 1996, 1998, 2000-2002; Special Committee on Judicial Discipline, 1997-98; Task Force on the Allocation of Judges in Illinois, 1998-00. Special Committee on ISBA Facilities, 2000.
McLean County Inns of Court
Illinois Institute of Continuing Legal Education (IICLE)
- Board of Directors, 2000 to 2007
- Board of Managers 1992 – 2014; Continuing Legal Education Committee, 1995-96; Executive Committee, 1996, 1997; Chairman, Insurance Law Committee, 1996-1998; Chairman, Product Liability and Insurance Law Committee, 1998-2000. Seminar Planning Chairman, 2002.
memberships
- Juris Doctor
- Bachelors