AV-rated Richard F. Kelly is an attorney, arbitrator and former Commissioner of the San Mateo County Superior Court with a successful record in and out of court representing both plaintiffs and defendants.

Summary Procedures
These are cases in which the entire "life" of the litigation is very short. A normal court action might take 12 to 24 months to come to a resolution, whereas a summary proceeding, such as an eviction, also known as an "Unlawful Detainer," usually takes only 4 to 6 weeks. This is because the legislature has determined that only one issue is presented: Who has the best right to possess the real property? There can be no cross-complaints and few issues to be tried in defense of these actions. Having handled more than 5,000 of these cases in his career representing either plaintiff, defendant or while deciding them on the bench as a former Commissioner of the San Mateo County Superior Court, Richard Kelly can best predict the most probable result and thereby bring the client the best resolution of the case by either dismissal, settlement or trial.

Jury Trial
Approximately six percent of all cases filed actually get to trial at all in civil matters. Thus, it is important for clients to have an experienced trial attorney representing them, a skill which is becoming rarer among newer attorneys. Richard Kelly has been trying eviction and personal injury civil lawsuits (both prosecution and defense) in front of juries and single judges throughout his 27-year career. He also has extensive experience as a Commissioner in civil matters, so he offers a unique depth and breadth of experience.

Arbitration/Mediation
Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) is becoming an increasingly popular option to avoid lengthy, expensive jury trials. In fact, most cases other than evictions are settled by mediation or arbitration. Richard Kelly brings a great deal of experience to the negotiating table. He is an accomplished arbitrator and mediator, having served appointments as a judicial arbitrator in the San Mateo County Superior Court, a panel arbitrator in hearings relating to fee disputes and a volunteer agreed mediator in landlord/tenant disputes. He has much experience in trying or bringing civil cases to settlement, ranging from evictions to automobile injuries to wrongful deaths. He does not presently handle criminal matters but can do so if it is related to a civil action.