Kristi Cahoon Kelly

Kristi C. Kelly is a consumer law attorney that focuses her practice on advocating for individuals in state and federal courts in Virginia, District of Columbia and Maryland. Described by her peers as someone “who takes- and wins- the cases others won’t touch,” she was selected as a Virginia “Leader in the Law” for the Class of 2014. Ms. Kelly focuses the majority of her practice on assisting consumers with credit reporting and employment background check mistakes, mortgage servicing errors and preventing abusive debt collection. Ms. Kelly has successfully litigated hundreds of cases for individuals and as class actions.

Ms. Kelly is a regular speaker on credit reporting and mortgage servicing issues for the National Consumer Law Center, Virginia CLE and various legal aid organizations throughout the country. She regularly volunteers her time to speak to various nonprofit and community organizations to train and educate individual and community stakeholders on their rights. Ms. Kelly also regularly volunteers her time to assist indigent consumers and active duty military or veterans referred from legal aid organizations or nonprofit organizations.

Ms. Kelly was a shareholder at Surovell Isaacs Petersen & Levy whose practice focused on consumer rights litigation in state and federal courts in the Washington, D.C. area. She has represented individuals against banks, brokers, auto dealers, car title lenders, debt collectors, credit card companies, credit bureaus and foreclosure rescue scammers. In May 2010, she received a $686,600 jury verdict and her attorney fees from a foreclosure rescue scammer.

After graduating law school, Ms. Kelly worked for Legal Services of Northern Virginia as a housing and consumer law attorney. In that position, she co-founded the Foreclosure Legal Assistance Program (FLAP) to provide legal advice and housing counseling to prevent foreclosures. In that capacity, she supervised and trained a network of attorneys and staff throughout northern Virginia. Ms. Kelly has been a presenter at various trainings on the local and statewide level focusing on foreclosure prevention, consumer rights for domestic violence survivors, landlord tenant law, predatory loans, dealing with debt collectors and understanding credit reports.

She has been admitted to the Virginia, Maryland and District of Columbia bars after graduating from the University of Richmond TC Williams School of Law. At graduation, she received the Nina R. Kestin award for her extraordinary contributions to the school, community and profession. Ms. Kelly received her degree cum laude from Dickinson College, where she was a four year varsity soccer player.

She lives in Oakton, Virginia with her husband, Matt and three sons, Joey, Charlie and Tommy.