Renée O'Neill Kelly is a complex commercial litigator with extensive trial experience. She focuses her practice on commercial litigation, including matters involving breach of contract claims, fidelity issues and business torts. She has significant experience representing professionals in liability defense cases, including on ethical and disciplinary matters. Ms. Kelly’s representative matters include:

• Defense of a TRO on a purported trade secrets violation, which would have shut the company down without succeeding at the initial stage of litigation.
• Defense of a legal malpractice action against two attorneys who represented a defendant in a criminal homicide trial.
• Defense of trustees and financial institutions in claims alleging negligence and breach of fiduciary duties, typically resolved at the preliminary motions stage.

Prior to joining Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP in February 2002, Ms. Kelly served for six years in the Cook County State's Attorneys' Office as an Assistant State's Attorney. In the felony review unit, she advised law enforcement in the investigation of homicide and felony offenses. In the domestic violence division, Ms. Kelly assessed the merits of claims, evaluated witness credibility and determined the appropriate charges to be filed.

In the Child Support Enforcement Division, Ms. Kelly investigated and identified financial assets for satisfaction of support obligations. She has tried nearly 1,000 felony and misdemeanor cases, including nine felony jury trials to verdict. In addition, Ms. Kelly has authored and argued numerous appellate briefs before the Illinois Appellate Court.