Jay Kelley

Jay M. Kelley III is the Managing Partner of Elk & Elk and one of Ohio's most recognized medical malpractice attorneys, with more than 25 years of courtroom experience. Based in Mayfield Heights, he handles birth injury, maternal death, surgical error, and wrongful death cases across Ohio. His career began as a felony prosecutor, followed by time defending major Ohio hospital systems, a background that gives him an advantage in anticipating defense strategy. He joined Elk & Elk in 2002, became a partner in 2011, and was named Managing Partner in 2017. He has been named Top 5 Ohio Super Lawyers for Personal Injury Plaintiff in 2026, Lawyer of the Year for Personal Injury Litigation (Cleveland, 2026), and Lawyer of the Year for Medical Malpractice Law (Cleveland, 2021). He served as Lead Counsel in University Hospitals fertility clinic litigation involving 65 plaintiffs and serves on the plaintiffs' leadership committee in the November 2024 Tusky Valley bus crash litigation.