Andrea W. Kelly

Andrea W. Kelly is a seasoned practitioner who has worked extensively in the public and  private sectors.  She served a total of 12 years as an Assistant District Attorney for Tarrant County and an Assistant Chief Counsel for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (formerly INS), before leaving the government to pursue private practice in 2005.

     By way of background, Ms. Kelly graduated with honors from the University of Texas at Austin in 1987 with a Journalism degree, and received her Juris Doctor in 1992 from Cornell University School of Law in Ithaca, New York. She has been admitted to the State Bar of Texas since 1992, and is also licensed to practice in federal court.

     Ms. Kelly's extensive litigation experience includes more than 500 trials in criminal and immigration courts. As a Trial Attorney for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, she represented the government in hundreds of deportation cases in Immigration Courts in Texas, Oklahoma and California, and prosecuted cases against employers who were charged with hiring illegal workers.  She received special recognition for her trial advocacy skills and her winning track record. Ms. Kelly also provided legal expertise on questions related to visa applications to federal agents of the Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), and she advised federal agents for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on deportation and detention issues.

     Ms. Kelly’s legal experience also includes six years as a prosecutor for the Tarrant County District Attorney's Office, where she conducted misdemeanor and felony jury trials on crimes ranging from DWI to capital murder, as well as Grand Jury and Juvenile Court proceedings. Her winning track record includes the simultaneous jury trial of 28 criminal defendants. 

     Since leaving the government, Ms. Kelly has helped hundreds of clients to obtain U.S. Citizenship, Green Cards, and Work Visas.  She has also successfully defended numerous clients against deportation in immigration court, and has represented clients in Divorce, Adoption and Custody-related matters in Family Court.