Legal Elite Awards 2021

12 | Legal Elite Awards 2021 Mar21343 Rebar Kelly is a leading legal firm specializing in insurance coverage matters that has seen almost a decade of success since its inception. At its helm, Cathleen Kelly Rebar has employed many of the philosophies she acquired as a college athlete to create a multi-award-winning legal firm with a global reputation for excellence. Woman-Owned Law Firm of the Year - North Atlantic USA ased in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, with additional offices in New York, NY Princeton, NJ, Saddle Brook, NJ and Stamford, CT, Rebar Kelly is a globally renowned law firm specializing in the insurance industry and a variety of pre-litigation and litigation matters. This encompasses insurance coverage and defense for insurance carriers, particularly in third-party matters. Rebar Kelly was founded in 2012 upon the principle that long-term relationships flow naturally from the recognition that its clients are its true partners. Those clients present a myriad of legal cases and issues to the firm on a daily basis, all varying in scale and complexity, but all well within the competency of Founder and Managing Partner, Cathleen Kelly Rebar, and her team of expert lawyers. A former college athlete who knows all too well the value of sacrifice and hard work as a means to success, Cathleen believes that if someone wants something, they have to earn it. Having graduated from Villanova University School of Law in 1998, Cathleen threw herself into her role as an Assistant District Attorney, then Deputy Attorney General in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, before transitioning into private practice in 2001. Just over a decade later, her career saw its defining moment when she established the insurance defense and insurance coverage-based law firm, Rebar Kelly. Driven by a mentality that has been shaped by the Walt Disney quote, ‘Do what you do so well that they will want to see it again and bring their friends’, Cathleen and her team set high standards for themselves in their work. The result has been nearly ten years of evolution and hundreds of cases that have been tried to successful verdict, often as lead counsel in the insurance industry’s most high profile cases, thanks to the Rebar Kelly team’s enthusiasm for litigating complex matters, that is married with the knowledge that expedient and cost- effective resolutions are the best way to meet the needs of clients. “By taking time to understand your business, and by engaging in innovative solutions, we can often assist you in resolving matters before they lead to extensive costs or substantial exposure.” Consequently, Cathleen relies heavily on her team and its solidarity that translates into effective operations and tangible results. As such, Cathleen prioritizes recruitment, using a lot of the lessons learned from her athletic career to shape her decision-making: hire the right people for the job, prepare and practice, back each other up, learn from each other, keep an open mind, and always put forth your best effort. She ensures that she knows each teammember’s strengths and weaknesses, recognizing that not every person is suited for every position, and putting the time and effort into finding the right people for the right job always pays off. The result is a strong and united firm that Cathleen can trust to deliver exceptional legal services to valued clients. “Every person at this firm contributes on a daily basis in a meaningful and essential way,” she states. The last year has been challenging for all in the legal industry and has accelerated a great deal of evolution. The rise of remote working is a phenomenon that took many by surprise and required fast adjustment but for Cathleen, she doubts that we will ever return to a world of work that does not rely on remote technology, even if we do bring back many of the aspects of the office environment that we have missed during the pandemic. “In some ways, certain things have become easier and more streamlined. But we have lost a lot of the human contact that I think sometimes helped set certain people and businesses apart. I look forward to a return to that personal connection,” she says. While the year has been inevitably tough for many, Rebar Kelly has been able to excel, thanks to the strong network of relationships it has curated since its inception. Even in the depths of lockdown, these relationships were nurtured in Zoommeetings, both professional and social. From remote ‘wacky shirt’ parties to Kahoot Quiz games, the team was able to come together and celebrate the unity they share as a team, which has led to success as a firmmarked by numerous awards and accolades. It’s most recent success at the Legal Elite Awards 2021 is testament to the excellence of Cathleen and her exceptional team at Rebar Kelly. Contact: Marina Bradley Company: Rebar Kelly Web Address: https://rebarkelly.com/ B “By taking time to understand your business, and by engaging in innovative solutions, we can often assist you in resolving matters before they lead to extensive costs or substantial exposure.”