Leonard T. Kelley founded this firm in Anchorage in 1975. Over fifty years later it is still here, still in this town, still doing the same work.
Over fifty Alaska winters in one community teaches things no case file can.
What does over fifty years of Alaska practice actually buy a client?
Pattern recognition and candor. Chris and Michaela each bring decades of experience in this state. That shows up as knowing which questions to ask first, which records will matter, and being able to say early and honestly whether a situation is worth pursuing.
Buildings have habits. A particular set of stairs, the north side of a lot where the sun never reaches, the loading area that glazes over every November. Property managers change and the physics do not. Knowing a property has a history changes what you go looking for on day one.
Something else worth mentioning, because it says more than a tagline could: over the years referrals have come not only from neighbors, former clients and other attorneys, but from opposing counsel and insurance defense attorneys. The lawyers on the other side of a file know how a firm works.
What does a consultation with Kelley & Canterbury involve?
Sitting down with an attorney and hearing the good, the bad and the ugly. A candid assessment of the situation, including the parts that are not what someone hoped to hear. The initial consultation costs nothing, and our fee is contingent upon a recovery.
Candor is the part worth emphasizing. Plenty of conversations end with us explaining why there is no claim worth bringing, or why an offer already on the table is a fair one. People deserve a straight answer more than they deserve an encouraging one, and telling the truth early is central to how this firm operates.
Who will you work with at the firm?
Chris and Michaela, and the team. People reach Kelley & Canterbury through the website, by phone, and by walking into the office, and many matters arrive by referral. Someone on the team follows up to gather information and help assess whether the firm can assist. From there clients work with the attorneys and the team together.
Chris and Michaela cannot personally field every inquiry, and anyone who tells you otherwise about a working law firm is describing something that does not exist. One of them may be in court for another client on the morning you call. What the firm is built to do is make sure your information reaches them and that a real person who knows your name is carrying it.
Communication runs mostly by email these days, still by telephone, and still in person at the office on N Street. Whichever one suits you is fine.
Why does a small firm recognize National Paralegal Day?
Because the documentation that decides most premises cases is work the paralegals and legal assistants do. Maintenance logs, service invoices, weather records, prior incident reports, and preservation letters sent early enough to stop routine deletion of surveillance footage.
October 23 is National Paralegal Day, an observance almost nobody outside the profession has heard of. The people here chase down medical records that hospitals are slow to release, remember that your daughter had surgery in March, and notice a deadline approaching before anyone else does.
Very little of what decides a case happens in a courtroom. If someone at this office has made a hard stretch easier for you, this is a good month to say so out loud.
Questions Alaskans Ask
How long has Kelley & Canterbury been in Alaska?
The firm was founded by Leonard T. Kelley in Anchorage in 1975 and marked more than fifty years of practice in 2026. Chris and Michaela each bring decades of experience.
Will I work directly with an attorney?
Yes. Clients work with Chris or Michaela and the team together. Inquiries come in through the website, by phone and by walk-in, and someone on the team gathers information first so the attorneys come to the conversation prepared.
What happens in a first consultation?
You sit down with an attorney and hear a candid assessment, including the parts that may not be what you hoped. The initial consultation costs nothing.
Should I call right away after a fall?
Sooner is better, even if no claim is ever brought. Surveillance footage is overwritten, lots get treated within hours, and the employee who wrote the incident report moves on. Most calls never become cases.