Overview
Kelly Brock serves as National Coordinating Counsel for our asbestos clients, maintaining a consistent defense strategy and overseeing local counsel case management in toxic tort litigation. Kelly’s diverse background has equipped her with an unusual skillset and a unique perspective in her legal practice. She was admitted to the Illinois Bar in 2002 and began her career as a trial attorney handling catastrophic personal injury matters.
After returning to her home state, Kelly was admitted to the Michigan Bar in 2005. Working as in-house counsel for an international company afforded Kelly invaluable experience in business transactions, litigation management, investigations, commercial real estate development, and collaboration with local counsel, domestically and abroad. In this role, Kelly learned early on the importance of understanding the values, culture, strategy and mission of her clients and their enterprises. She has prepared witnesses and experts for deposition and trial; led corporate investigations; drafted dispositive motions in a variety of areas including products liability, premises liability, medical malpractice, RICO, and labor and employment cases; developed comprehensive Affirmative Action Plans for federal contractors and employers; served as counsel/translator/interpreter during bilingual legal conferences in France; administered federal pandemic relief grant programs; and handled all phases of litigation from inception through resolution. Kelly does not shy away from a challenge. She is a creative thinker, outside-the-box problem solver, and a big believer in team culture.
Practice Areas
Education
- Thomas M. Cooley Law School – Lansing, Michigan (2001)
Juris Doctor, Concentration in International Law - Université de Paris I – Paris, France (2000)
Study Abroad through University of San Diego School of Law
Paris Institute on International and Comparative Law - Western Michigan University – Kalamazoo, Michigan (1998)
Bachelor of Arts and Sciences, Cum Laude
Double Major: Political Science and French
Minor: Communications - Centre de Linguistique Appliquée de Besançon (CLA) – Besançon, France (1997)
Diploma of Superior French Studies
Admissions
- Supreme Court of Michigan, May 2005 (inactive)
- District Court for Northern District of Illinois, June 2002
- Supreme Court of Illinois, May 2002
Experience
Publications & Presentations
- Featured Speaker, “Federal Contractor Obligations”
2016 Annual Labor & Employment Conference – Beau Rivage Resort & Casino, Biloxi, MS
Distinctions
Associations
Civic Involvement
Outside the Office
At age 20, Kelly moved overseas and dove head-first into her dream life, studying and working in France and England for over five years, until a charming southerner swept her back to the States to start a family. Peak life experiences include skydiving in two countries, performing in six shows at the Fox Theatre as a backup singer for Kenny Rogers, scaling a via ferrata in the Swiss Alps, hosting a private international art event at Claude Monet’s world-famous home and gardens, completing a survival expedition in Canada, serving as in-house counsel and international business director for a 1,000-Year-Old Benedictine Abbey in the Loire Valley, France, winning a national poetry contest, and creating weird and wild sculptures. Outside of the office, Kelly is most passionate about her husband and their teenage daughters, who inspire and captivate her daily. The family pooch, a big (lazy) chocolate lab named Bear, is the cherry on top of Kelly’s sweet little life. Favorite Motto: “What’s risky is living your life safely and never trying anything brave.”