After receiving his law degree from Boston University, he began his career as a real estate attorney and, out of boredom, started writing a screenplay as a hobby. The resulting script -- a legal thriller starring Judd Nelson called From the Hip (1987) -- didn't make Kelley a fortune, but it did catch the eye of successful writer-producer Steven Bochco, a man who tapped him to join the writing team of his fledgling legal drama "L.A. Law" and who would later become his mentor.

Kelley went on to launch some of the most successful and critically acclaimed TV series ever produced, including "Doogie Howser, M.D.," "Picket Fences," "Chicago Hope," "The Practice," "Ally McBeal" and "Boston Legal."