Thomas P. Kelly III concentrates his practice in the fields of Estate Planning, Estate Litigation, and Elder Law. He works closely with individual clients and their families to ascertain personal objectives and to carefully design and implement an estate plan that will reduce future aggravation and stress for loved ones. Whenever possible, Tom prefers to work with a client's other advisors as part of a team of trusted professionals so that family wealth can be preserved and passed to future generations.

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Tom earned Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees in Business Administration from Bucknell University with an emphasis in Management. While at Bucknell, he competed on the school's ski team and varsity men's crew team. Tom then attended Seton Hall University School of Law, where he was named a Centennial Scholar. During law school Tom studied European Union law in Italy at the Universita degli Studi Parma, and the University of Milan. Tom then attended Temple Temple University's Beasley School of Law where he received a Master of Laws degree in Taxation and a Certificate in Estate Planning.

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Tom was previously employed by a prominent law firm in Washington D.C. where he worked alongside now Justice Neil Gorsuch of the United States Supreme Court. Tom has represented corporate and individual clients around the world and has appeared before state and federal courts throughout the United States.

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In addition to his busy estate planning practice, Tom is certificated as a private pilot by the Federal Aviation Administration with a rating of airplane-single-engine-land. He frequently represents fellow pilots and flying organizations with their unique planning needs. Additionally, Tom is an avid scuba diver, and a former rescue diver, and holds an advanced certification from the National Association of Underwater Instructors. Prior to entering private practice, Tom worked for five years as a municipal police officer and also volunteered his time as a certified Firefighter/EMT. 

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EDUCATION

 Temple University School of Law - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

•     Master of Laws in Taxation

•     Certificate in Estate Planning  

 Seton Hall University School of Law - Newark, New Jersey

•     Juris Doctor

 Bucknell University - Lewisburg, Pennsylvania

•     Bachelor of Science in Business Administration

•     Master of Science in Business Administration

BAR ADMISSIONS

•     New Jersey

•     New York

•     Pennsylvania

•     District of Columbia Court of Appeals

•     Supreme Court of the United States

•     United States District Court for the District of New Jersey

•     United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit

•     United States Tax Court

PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS/AFFILIATIONS

•     New Jersey State Bar Association

•     Burlington County Bar Association

•     District of Columbia Bar

•     National Association of Estate Planners & Councils

•     Philadelphia Estate Planning Council 

•     Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association

•     National Eagle Scout Association

PUBLICATIONS

• "A Call for the Overhaul of ERISA: How the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 Rewards Employers for Bad Faith Denials of Legitimate Claims for Employee Disability Benefits, A Multi-Case Study Involving One Philadelphia-Based Insurance Carrier," Seton Hall Legislative Journal: Vol. 37: Iss. 2, Art. 4 (2013).

• Long-Term Care Planning Strategies for Middle Class Clients Who Procrastinate – Single Premium Immediate Annuities in the Wake of the Deficit Reduction Act (Estate and Financial Planning Council of Southern New Jersey, Featured Year-End Article - January 2012).

• Graduate Essay: “What Every Small Business Needs to Know About the Internet,” Bucknell Univ. Press, (1997).