ROBERT E. KELLY, JR. held the position of Senior Counsel in the litigation sections of The Phillips Petroleum Company, The Coastal Corporation, and The El Paso Corporation legal departments over the past thirty years before joining Abbott, Simses & Kuchler in 2004. During such time, Mr. Kelly was the Phillips, Coastal, and El Paso senior legal representative to the Texas Energy Pipeline Coalition, American Chemistry Council national toxic tort defense committee, and the MTBE national joint defense group. Throughout the years, his practice consisted of extensive first and second chair trial/appellate experience in toxic tort, personal injury, wrongful death, condemnation, commercial, and property damage cases. Additionally, Mr. Kelly has managed major litigation dockets all over the United States, most recently the national El Paso Corporation MTBE Multi-District Litigation docket pending in federal court in New York. Mr. Kelly is rated AV by Martindale-Hubbell and is a Fellow of the Texas Bar Foundation.

Mr. Kelly received his Bachelor of Business Administration degree with a major in management from the University of Texas at Austin in 1966, his Master of Business Administration degree from Golden Gate University in San Francisco, California in 1969, and his Doctor of Jurisprudence degree from The University of Houston Law Center in 1974. Mr. Kelly is admitted to practice before all the state courts in Texas, the United States Courts of Appeal for the Fifth and Eleventh Circuits; and the United States District Courts for the Southern, Northern, and Eastern Districts of Texas.

Mr. Kelly served as a Captain in the United States Air Force from 1966 to 1971. Additionally, he served his community as President of the West University Place Soccer Club, President of the West University Elementary School P.T.A., head coach of girls' softball and soccer teams for 10 years, and Mayor Pro-Tem/City Council Member of the City of West University Place, Texas in the early 1990s. Mr. Kelly is currently the Mayor of West University Place, Texas having been elected to that office in May, 2007, and is a native Texan.

Mr. Kelly has been married to Linda since 1968, and has two daughters, Colleen, a physician, and Susan, a law student at The University of Texas School of Law. His personal interests are coaching soccer and softball, flying, motorcycles, and traveling.