Qualified

Since 1984, Kelly Vance has a proven record of success in handling many large and complex cases in court and in arbitrations. He has been admitted to  practice in six states, but limits his active practice to the Northwest United States. His advice and counsel is sought by lawyers throughout the country, particularly with regard to toxic mold exposure cases and arbitration issues. He donates numerous hours every month to advising and helping people with contaminated homes. If you have sick kids, he will always listen.

Kelly has earned a reputation for tenacity and dedication to his clients and their causes. A former US Marine, Kelly's mission statement is straightforward and true. He is well respected by friends and adversaries alike.

Experienced

After graduating from the University of Oregon School of Law, Kelly began his law career in the state of Alaska, where he worked on many large complex cases emphasizing real estate, construction disputes and insurance issues. In his first year as an attorney, Kelly had an idea that transformed a difficult liability case with a possible settlement value of $75,000 into a settlement that exceeded a half million dollars.

His successes at that firm attracted attention and he soon was recruited by a Seattle-based firm. This opened the door to a more regional presence and a more varied practice. Kelly became the Seattle firm’s resident Alaska attorney and Senior Litigation Associate with primary case responsibility for many medium to large cases in state and federal courts. Eventually he established a practice in Oregon and Washington, while continuing to accept select cases in Alaska and Idaho.

Kelly wanted to take his practice in a different direction so that he could use his abilities to help individuals rather than companies. Although he was known as a friend of the construction industry, Kelly's heart was burdened by seeing the damage suffered by families that became exposed to toxic mold as a result of shoddy construction practices. He disagreed with the construction industry's tendency to protect incompetent homebuilders by lobbying for protectionist legislation. He began to accept cases that held builders accountable for their bad workmanship. That change was a defining moment in his career.

Kelly has continued to focus on construction defect and real estate disputes, property and insurance claims, public and private contract cases, and personal injury cases. But his emphasis now is on helping people regain their lives after being victimized by bad builders. In recent years Kelly has observed a growing need for competent, caring attorneys to represent victims of toxic mold. He has educated himself in this very specialized and complex area. He frequently mentors other attorneys handling mold cases.

Effective

In March, 2005, Kelly secured the first personal injury toxic mold verdict in the Northwest and one of the first such verdicts in the nation, in the case known as Haynes v. Adair Homes, Inc. That case became a rallying point for victims of shoddy construction in Oregon, and was one of the main reasons that Oregon's governor appointed a task force to study construction issues and consumer complaints.

About that case: Paul and Renee Haynes and their two small children lived in their new home less than five months when they discovered the mold in their walls, which was causing the family serious health problems. The case, which involved arbitration, construction defect, the medical impact of mold and much more, went before a Clackamas County jury and the Haynes family, including their young boys, were awarded nearly a half million dollars as well as costs and fees. The case received national attention. (Click here to read more about this case.)

Since Kelly feels his time and energy is best spent fighting for his clients, he has not actively publicized his success. However, he has obtained many favorable results over the course of his career.

Accessible

As a sole practitioner, Kelly is not subject to the office politics and pressures typical of a large firm. He is, instead, completely familiar with every aspect of each case. He communicates with his clients regularly by phone and e-mail and provides copies of all legal exchanges. He answers his own phone. He returns your calls.

He has developed mutually respectful working relationships with the professionals necessary to assist him in his cases, such as mold and construction experts, medical professionals, investigators and paralegals.

Personal

A father of three, Kelly loves time with his family in the outdoors, attending Oregon Ducks football games, and coaching Little League. In fact, he takes great pleasure in teaching baseball to children of all ages. His teams typically lead their leagues and play for championships. His leadership and success in that regard—he has never failed to win a championship in four years of coaching—led the South Spokane Little League Board of Directors to ask him to serve as their Coaching Coordinator and coach of their Juniors All Star tournament teams. Kelly's volunteer work for Little League takes many hours of his free time each year, but Kelly feels that it is his duty to volunteer and that coaching the kids keeps him young at heart. In Spokane, many people don’t even know he is a lawyer. They just know he is a great baseball coach.