Kelly A. George

Kelly A. George grew up intending to remain on his family’s farm in southwestern Oklahoma and follow in his father’s and grandfather’s footsteps.

But when he went away to attend Oklahoma Christian University in the early 1980s because his parents insisted on him obtaining a college degree, the farming economy sharply declined and became much less appealing. So when he received his B.S. degree in American Studies in 1985, George opted for an alternative career path. He decided to become a lawyer instead of a farmer, attending Oklahoma City University Law School and the University of Oklahoma College of Law, receiving his J.D. in 1989.

George has never doubted that decision because he’s found that he enjoys the practice of law as much as he does agriculture and has compiled a solid career as a plaintiff’s lawyer.

After receiving his J.D., he launched his legal career working at an established general-practice firm, mostly defending businesses and insurance companies. One day a case came his way in which the opposing counsel was an old law-school friend, Derek K. Burch, who was practicing with well-known plaintiff’s attorney Ed Abel. George settled that case with his former classmate—and became convinced he wanted to cross over to the plaintiff side. George got hired at the firm where Burch worked, and he and Burch began handling many cases together.

After several years, the two friends decided they wanted to launch their own practice, and in 1997, the law firm of Burch & George was born.

The two founding partners have remained true to their goal of focusing solely on plaintiff’s cases. In his own practice, George has achieved numerous significant outcomes, including a number of large verdicts and seven-figure settlements.

One of those notable cases involved catastrophic injuries suffered by the operator of an excavating machine who struck a gas line that exploded, burning him badly. The defendant utility company had neglected to properly identify the location of the gas line and finally agreed to settle the case for seven figures.