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Attorney Bios

[Image] Kelly E.  Waits

Kelly E. Waits // Associate download a vcard

Atlanta Office

Phone (404) 685-4306
Fax (404) 214-7381
E-Mail kelly.waits@burr.com

Legal Secretary
Angela Phillips, (404) 685-4247, aphillip@burr.com

About Kelly

Kelly is an associate in the firm’s Atlanta office and practices in the business section where she focuses on creditors’ rights and bankruptcy. Her experience involves mainly commercial bankruptcy matters, including the representation of secured creditors, unsecured creditors, and plaintiffs and defendants in bankruptcy-related litigation.

Kelly received her J.D. from Emory University School of Law where she was the Executive Managing Editor of the Emory Bankruptcy Developments Journal. While there, Kelly authored “The Validity of Post-Petition Transfers of Real Property: Who Does the Bankruptcy Code’s Section 549(c) Protect?”, 40 Real Prop. Prob. & Tr. J. 149 (2005), which took first place in the national Jacques T. Schlenger student writing contest. She received her B.A., cum laude, in Broadcast News Journalism from the University of Georgia.

Prior to joining Burr & Forman, Kelly practiced in the Bankruptcy and Public Finance sections at Troutman Sanders LLP. Kelly also served as judicial law clerk for the Honorable Douglas O. Tice Jr. in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Virginia.

Kelly Cross-Examined

What community projects are you involved in?

For the past couple of years, I have helped administer and teach Credit Smart, a six-week program which helps women establish a budget and clear up past credit problems. I have also been involved in drafting Qualified Income Trusts for the medically needy.

What was your first job?

I worked the cash register at the Dairy Queen on the Brazier side. I was soon promoted to the Dairy Queen side, where I was allowed to create ice cream treats, including the famous Peanut Buster Parfait, for guests.

What advice would you give to a young student in law school?

Don’t overestimate the time commitment required for exams. Instead of cramming, review your class notes on a daily basis and make an appointment to speak to your professor if you don’t understand a concept so that you can continue to build on what you have learned.

How do you spend your weekend?

Usually relaxing with family and friends, and taking our baby girl to the pool, the park or on a playdate. We are lucky that almost all of our extended family is in the metro Atlanta area, so our daughter gets to see her grandparents and great-grandparents on a regular basis.

Education

J.D., Emory University School of Law

B.A., cum laude, University of Georgia

Memberships &
Bar Associations

State Bar of Georgia (Bankruptcy Section)

Atlanta Bar Association (Bankruptcy Division)

International Women in Restructuring Confederation (Community Service Committee Member)

Georgia Association of Women Lawyers

Publications and Articles

Author, “Revisiting the Lender’s Recovery Toolbox: Remedies of Set-off and Recoupment” Burr Alert (March 2012).

Co-author, Plain Language of Bankruptcy Burr Alert (Sept. 2010)