Peter Kelly served as a justice on the First Court of Appeals from 2019 through 2024. Prior to assuming the bench, he was widely regarded as one of the premier appellate advocates in Texas, and presented hundreds of oral arguments in state and federal courts, including dozens in the Texas Supreme Court. He is board certified in Civil Appellate Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization and is one of a handful of private practitioners appointed by the Texas Supreme Court to serve on its select Advisory Committee, on which he has served since 2012. As a member of the American Law Institute, he continues to work with judges, law professors, and other practitioners on the development and refinement of the American common law. He has served in leadership capacities in numerous professional organizations including the Texas and Houston Trial Lawyers Associations and the Houston Bar Association, and he is frequently invited to speak on both substantive and procedural issues at continuing legal education programs and law schools.
Peter received his undergraduate degree from Harvard University, and his law degree from the University of Texas. His wife, Mary Lawler, is the Chief Executive Officer of Avenue, a Houston affordable housing nonprofit.
