Peter K. Kelly, serves Of Counsel to Ruskin Moscou Faltischek, where is a member of the Trusts & Estates Department. He is also a member of the Mediation Solutions Group. Mr. Kelly’s practice focuses on estate and trust litigation, estate administration and estate planning.

Prior to joining Ruskin Moscou Faltischek, Mr. Kelly was a member of the staff of the Nassau Surrogate’s Court as Law Secretary to Judge C. Raymond Radigan and later as a Court Attorney/Referee. Mr. Kelly drafted several opinions, a number of which were published, conferenced cases and presided as a referee/hearing officer over many matters. Prior to joining the Surrogate’s Court, Mr. Kelly was Law Secretary to the Honorable Raymond Harrington, then Acting Nassau County Surrogate. Mr. Kelly was most recently President of the New York State Surrogate’s Law Association.

Mr. Kelly also has wide experience as Law Secretary to the Honorable Geoffrey C. O’Connell in Nassau County Supreme Court where the Court tried negligence, matrimonial, medical malpractice and commercial litigation cases to verdict. As Judge Harrington’s Law Clerk and a former Nassau County Assistant District Attorney, he has broad experience in criminal law, having tried numerous felony cases as a prosecutor. He also worked with Judge Harrington during hundreds of felony trials, annually presented a criminal law update to the New York State County Judges Association and served on the Criminal Jury Instruction Committee for sixteen years.

Mr. Kelly has lectured on criminal law, estates and trusts, judicial ethics and evidence to the Nassau Academy of Law, Suffolk Academy of Law, the Nassau County District Court Judges, the State Magistrates Association for the Tenth Judicial District, St; John’s University Law School Criminal Law Institute, the Nassau County 18-B Panel, the Former Assistant District Attorneys Association of Nassau County, the Criminal Courts Bar Association of Nassau County, the Bank of New York, the Diocese of Rockville Centre, North Fork Bank, United States Trust, the Unified Court System Legal Update for Court Attorneys and for Judges, the Surrogates Update for Court Attorneys and for Judges, the Surrogates Association and the Surrogates Law Association.

Mr. Kelly is a member of the New York State Bar Association and its Estates and Trust section and the Nassau County Bar Association and its Surrogate’s Court Committee. Mr. Kelly is also active in the community as a member of the Ancient Order of Hibernians, the Knights of Columbus and Kiwanis.

Awards

• Most Valuable Law Secretary Award, New York State County Judges Association 1991

• Medal of Merit, Nassau Court Officers Benevolent Association, 2007

Published

• "Duress: a Separate Objection to Probate" (New York Law Journal, March 12, 2012) Co-authored with C. Raymond Radigan

• "Does New York Need a Trust Code?" (New York Law Journal, January 31, 2011) Co-authored with C. Raymond Radigan and Jennifer Hillman

• Co-Author, Warren’s Heaton on Surrogates Courts,

• Chapter 42, Contested Probate Proceedings

• Co-Author, New York State Criminal Jury Instructions (3 volume treatise)

• Criminal Law Update, 1989-1994