Jim Kelley is a highly regarded bankruptcy and restructuring attorney with decades of experience advising corporate and individual clients in complex matters across the United States. He has represented major financial institutions, corporate entities, and fiduciaries – including Wells Fargo, Bank of America, Reliant Bank, Regions Bank Corporate Trust, and FirstBank – in bankruptcy proceedings, workouts, and commercial litigation.
Deeply committed to civic leadership, Jim has served as president or board member for a wide range of nonprofit and professional organizations, including Nashville CARES, Oasis Center, Family and Children’s Service, OZ Arts Nashville, and Greenways for Nashville. His impact has been recognized through multiple honors, including the inaugural Nashville CARES Iris Buhl Philanthropy Award.
Professional & Civic Engagement
- American Bar Association
- American Bankruptcy Institute; Former Chair of Taxation Committee
- American College of Bankruptcy, Fellow; Former Board Member
- Tennessee Bar Association
- Nashville Bar Association
- Nashville Bar Foundation, Fellow
- Mid-South Commercial Law Institute, Former Director and President
- Greenways for Nashville, Former President and Board Member
- Family and Children’s Service, Board of Directors; Former President
- OZ Arts Nashville, President of the Board of Trustees
- Oasis Center, Former President and Member of the Executive Committee and Board of Directors
- Nashville CARES, Former President and Member of the Executive Committee and Board of Directors
- Reliant Bank, Former Board Member
- Reliant Bancshares, Inc., Former Board Member
- Watkins College, Former Board Member
- American Friends of Chantilly, Former Board Member
- Sonata Financial Holdings, Board Member
Honors & Awards
- Recognized in The Best Lawyers in America® for Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights/ Insolvency and Reorganization Law, Litigation – Bankruptcy, and Tax Law, 1989-Present
