The year 2006 marked the 50th anniversary of the founding of Kelly, Rode & Kelly, LLP. The firm was begun in 1956 by the late Joseph F. O'Brien and John D. Kelly. Mr. O'Brien was deceased in 1968 and the firm was reorganized in 1970 by John D. Kelly. From inception, the firm has been dedicated as trial counsel to the major insurance carriers of the nation, including Lloyd 's of London. The firm has always focused on providing legal services in Nassau and Suffolk counties (where it maintains offices), the five boroughs of New York City and nearby counties upstate.

Since the retirement of John D. Kelly, the management of the firm has been assumed by a new generation as Kelly, Rode and Kelly, LLP continues to serve its traditional clients in facing the challenges of the twenty-first century.