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Constant Legal Group

Constant Legal Group

Edward “Ed” J. Kelley

Partner · Institutional Accountability Litigation · National Practice
A trial lawyer who has stood between powerful corporations and the people they harm – J&J, 3M, GE, Ford, GM, and dozens more.
Admitted In
Ohio · Pennsylvania · Federal Courts
Education
Cleveland-Marshall College of Law, J.D., Magna Cum Laude
Recognition
Super Lawyers® Rising Star (2023–2026) · NTL Top 40 Under 40
Practice
Sexual Abuse · Human Trafficking · Drug & Device
About Ed Kelley

Ed Kelley has spent his career standing between powerful institutions and the people they harm. That is not a tagline, it is an accurate description of what he does every single day.

Before Ed became a partner at Constant Legal Group, he spent years litigating against some of the largest corporations in America – Johnson & Johnson, 3M, General Electric, Honeywell, Ford Motor Company, General Motors, and dozens of others. He knows how these organizations think, how their legal teams operate, and what it takes to hold them accountable in court when they have spent years and millions of dollars making sure that accountability never comes.

Ed’s practice at CLG covers the firm’s core national practices – sexual abuse civil litigation, human trafficking third-party liability, and mass tort cases involving dangerous drugs and defective medical devices. Whether he is building a case against a diocese that protected an abusive priest, a hotel chain that turned a blind eye to trafficking, or a pharmaceutical manufacturer that concealed what it knew, Ed brings meticulous preparation, complex litigation strategy, and an absolute refusal to lose sight of the human being at the center of the case.

When a company sells a dangerous product or turns a blind eye to wrongdoing, real people and real families pay the price. Litigation is a tool, but what drives me is the belief that my client – the person sitting next to me at the table – deserves to have someone in their corner who takes this as seriously as they do.
Ed Kelley, Partner
Partner, Constant Legal Group

The Work – What Ed Actually Does in Court

Ed has taken and defended hundreds of depositions in high-stakes litigation, and has played an active role in achieving multimillion-dollar verdicts and tens of millions of dollars in negotiated settlements. These are not numbers on a website – they are medical bills paid, families stabilized, and in some cases, institutional practices changed because a lawsuit made continuing them too costly.

That breadth of corporate litigation experience is a direct advantage for CLG’s clients. When a pharmaceutical company or medical device manufacturer sends its defense team to the table, Ed has almost certainly faced that kind of opponent before. He knows the types of documents they will hide, the experts they will hire, and the arguments they will make.

The Approach – How Ed Works With Clients

Ed does not lose track of the fact that a case is a central life issue for his client. In a practice area where it is easy to become absorbed in the complexity of multi-defendant mass tort litigation, Ed is aware that the numbers on the settlement sheet represent a real person’s recovery. The legal strategy is built in service of that person.

Clients at CLG have direct access to their attorneys. Ed’s clients have his direct contact information, receive timely responses to every question, and work with an attorney who tracks the human impact of their case alongside the legal strategy.

Litigation Against Major Corporations

Selected institutional defendants Ed Kelley has faced across his career in complex litigation.

Johnson & Johnson
3M
General Electric
Honeywell
Westinghouse
Ford Motor Company
General Motors
Zimmer Biomet
Conrail
Sherwin-Williams
Carrier
Union Carbide
Georgia Pacific
Trane
American Standard

Recognition & Awards

Super Lawyers® Rising Star (2023–2026)

Selected to Ohio Super Lawyers as a Rising Star, a designation awarded to no more than 2.5% of attorneys in the state, based on peer recognition and professional achievement.

Top 40 Under 40 Trial Attorney

Recognized by the National Trial Lawyers, honoring the top 40 trial attorneys under the age of 40 in each state for outstanding achievement in trial advocacy.

National Moot Court Regional Champion

Cleveland State Moot Court Team – Regional Championship (2016), defeating teams from Ohio State, Michigan State, and Case Western Reserve Universities.

Editor of the Year

Chief Managing Editor of the Cleveland State Law Review, with a Law Review article published in 2016.

Rated by Super Lawyers


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Practice Areas

What Ed Kelley Handles

Sexual Abuse – Institutional Civil Litigation

Ed handles sexual abuse civil cases with a focus on institutional accountability – the diocese that reassigned a known abuser, the school that failed to report, the youth organization that built a culture of secrecy around misconduct.

Human Trafficking – TVPRA Civil Claims

The TVPRA’s civil provision (18 U.S.C. § 1595) gives survivors the right to sue the businesses that enabled and profited from their exploitation. Ed pursues these claims against hotels and online platforms that knowingly benefited from trafficking – a rapidly evolving area of federal civil rights law where his corporate background is a decisive advantage.

Drug & Medical Device Injuries – Mass Tort

Ed’s deepest litigation roots are in product liability and mass tort – cases that require understanding both complex medical science and corporate concealment strategies. He understands how MDL proceedings work, how defendants manage document production, and how to build individual injury cases that hold up inside a mass tort framework.

Education & Bar Admissions

Legal Education
Bar Admissions & Courts
Beyond the Law

The Person Behind the Practice

The qualities that make Ed effective in complex institutional litigation did not emerge entirely in law school. He was the captain of his high school football team, and is the oldest of five siblings in a family where leading by example was not a philosophy, it was a necessity. Those experiences shaped something no legal education fully teaches – the understanding that the person standing beside you is depending on you to do your part, and that showing up with full commitment, even when the other side is bigger and better-resourced, is the only acceptable option.

Ed carries that sense of commitment and dedication into every case. The corporations CLG faces are bigger, better-resourced, and more experienced at defending themselves than you would expect, and the stakes are high. That, for Ed, is precisely the point.

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Ed Kelley handles sexual abuse civil litigation, human trafficking TVPRA civil claims, and mass tort cases involving dangerous drugs and defective medical devices. His practice focuses on holding institutions – churches, corporations, hotel chains, pharmaceutical manufacturers, and medical device companies – accountable. He works on cases nationally and is admitted in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and various federal courts.
Yes. Ed has litigated against some of the largest corporations in the United States, including Johnson & Johnson, 3M, Honeywell, General Electric, Ford Motor Company, General Motors, Zimmer Biomet, Sherwin-Williams, Union Carbide, Westinghouse, Conrail, and Georgia Pacific, among others. This experience forms the foundation of CLG’s institutional litigation strategy.

Yes. Ed Kelley was selected to the Ohio Super Lawyers Rising Star list from 2023–2026, a designation awarded to no more than 2.5% of attorneys in the state and based on peer recognition and professional achievement. He has also been named a Top 40 Under 40 Trial Attorney by the National Trial Lawyers.

Ed Kelley and the Constant Legal Group team can be reached for a free, confidential case evaluation at 855-906-2561. CLG handles cases nationally and consultations are available by phone or video conference. Every inquiry is completely confidential.

Free Consultation

Work With Ed Kelley

Free. Confidential. Nationwide. There is no cost and no obligation to speak with an attorney.

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