Kelly R. Culhane

Kelly Rittenberry Culhane doesn’t just talk the talk; she walks the walk. Over ten years ago, she left her previous firm with three other partners to launch CM Law PLLC – now the nation’s largest, full-service, women-owned and managed law firm.

Today, she is CM Law’s managing partner with a legal practice that focuses on advising clients on insurance and risk management matters. Kelly has served as General Counsel and Chief Operating Officer to two national law firms, outside General Counsel to a wholly owned subsidiary of the Tokio Marine Group, and as a carrier-approved defense counsel in professional negligence actions. This experience serving on both sides of the table makes her particularly well-suited to share her experience with her colleagues at WIPL.

To each matter, Kelly brings a sharp mind and a sense of calm that clients rely on during times of crisis. As a former trial attorney at one of the world’s largest firms, Kelly also handled all types of complex commercial litigation, insurance, and regulatory matters, while also representing these same clients in strategic transactions with key business partners. She represented individual accountants and the Big Three accounting firms in complex regulatory matters and was appointed to serve on a task force for a Fortune 100 company advising on CPA regulatory issues.

Her transactional clients are global companies (spanning a wide range of industries) who frequently call on her in times of crises and to assist in key legal and business strategy decisions. Kelly’s recent experience includes acting as lead counsel for a global business travel spin-off, resulting in one of the world’s largest travel agency networks with over 2,200 travel service locations in over 140 countries and territories. She is also a contributing author to LexisNexis’ Lexis Practice Advisor® Outsourcing module.

An intentional leader herself, Kelly is a generous mentor, strategic influencer, and networker. Devoted to advancing women as legal and business leaders, she is passionate about her work in connection with her for the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children’s Texas Regional Office and a mentor and advocate for survivors of exploitation and human trafficking.

As a single mother, she also clearly understands and can speak to the importance and value of self-care and how best to develop personally appropriate strategies for professional growth. She is currently housing a teen mother and helping her raise her baby while she completes her education. When not practicing law, she enjoys Orangetheory, going on long runs, and competing in triathlons and other races (with her son and daughter when she can twist their arms).