Dr. Chari Kelly

Biography

Chari L. Kelly is an Adjunct Professor at Texas Law University, specializing in advocacy. Over her 10 years of teaching, she has lectured in the Advocacy Survey: Skills class, aiding in coaching interscholastic mock trial teams. Her legal career is extensive, with service as a Captain in the Judge Advocate General’s Corps (JAG), where she represented over 150 soldiers facing trial by court-martial. Kelly's military assignments included high-profile cases that attracted national attention. Following her military career, she worked as a Research Attorney for Judge Paul Womack at the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, and later joined the Texas Attorney General’s Office, where she practiced civil litigation before returning to criminal law. Kelly has tried numerous jury trials across serious felony cases and was named the Mothers Against Drunk Driving Prosecutor of the Year for Travis County in 2018. She is Board Certified in Criminal Law and serves on the Board of Directors for the National Board of Trial Advocacy. She remains an active member of the Texas Law Alumni Association Executive Committee.

Research Interests