Hugh Rice Kelly is the General Counsel of Texans for Lawsuit Reform. Prior to his retirement in May 2003, he was Executive Vice President and General Counsel of both Reliant Energy and CenterPoint Energy.

In 1984 Kelly joined Houston Lighting & Power Company, the principal corporate predecessor of Reliant and CenterPoint, as general counsel. Prior to joining HL&P, he was a partner in the trial and utility regulatory departments of Baker & Botts in Houston.

A native of Houston, Kelly graduated from Rice University in 1965. Following service as an officer in the U.S. Army, he attended law school at the University of Texas, where he served as Editor in Chief of the Texas Law Review, and graduated with high honors.

In 1994 Kelly co-founded Texans for Lawsuit Reform with Dick Weekley, Leo Linbeck and Dick Trabulsi. He authored TLR's first legislative agenda, most of which was enacted in 1995, and has served as general counsel and board member of TLR since that time. He has also been active in the past as a member of the steering committee of the Civil Justice Reform Group and of the board of the Institute for Legal Reform of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and as a number of judicial election reform groups.

In civic affairs, Kelly has served as a board member and officer of numerous civic organizations, including cultural, health care, city improvement, and other charitable and non-profit activities. He is also a member of the American Law Institute and of the Houston, Texas and American Bar Associations.