Areas of Practice
Education
- Tulane University Law School, J.D., 1979
- Georgetown University, A.B., 1976, cum laude
Bar Admissions
- Louisiana, 1979
Kelly Duncan is a partner at Jones Walker and a member of the firm's board of directors. He was honored in 2005 as a recipient of the inaugural New Orleans CityBusiness Leadership in Law Award, which recognized 50 New Orleans attorneys for their success in law and contributions to the community, based upon professional achievements and community service. In June 2006, Mr. Duncan spoke at the three-day International Masters of Gaming Law Conference in Ljubljana, Slovenia, on the topic of North American gaming developments. His talk focused on the impact of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita on the Louisiana gaming industry, and his audience included conferees from 22 countries.
Mr. Duncan has more than 25 years of experience in handling admiralty, maritime, and international and customs law matters. His maritime practice includes both domestic and international matters relating to marine acquisitions, financings, vessel construction, regulatory issues and claims, maritime lien enforcement and foreclosures, charter parties, and cargo. Mr. Duncan has been a speaker at maritime seminars throughout the country. His international practice includes, among other things, international commercial transactions, customs rulings, protests, re-liquidations, seizures, forfeitures, and classification disputes.
Mr. Duncan serves as the head of the firm’s Gaming Practice Group and is a member of the International Association of Gaming Attorneys and the International Masters of Gaming Law. Since the passage of legislation in Louisiana in the early 1990s authorizing video poker, riverboat gaming, the land based casinos, and racinos, Mr. Duncan has been integrally involved in the representation of major casino companies, manufacturers, suppliers and financial institutions regarding all matters relating to the development, financing and operation of such facilities. His extensive experience in such matters includes public private leases, financings, and land use approvals, as well as statutory and regulatory interpretation and compliance, gaming operations, administrative hearings, and litigation. His clients include many of the largest gaming operators and gaming equipment manufacturers and suppliers in the world as well as major investment banking firms and large commercial lenders involved in secured and unsecured lending, debt offerings and bond offerings in connection with the development of various gaming projects.
As a result of his maritime, gaming, and international practices, Mr. Duncan has extensive experience appearing before regulatory bodies and state and federal courts.
Noteworthy
- Listed in The Best Lawyers in America® 2009 (Copyright 2008 by Woodward/White, Inc., Aiken, SC) in the areas of Gaming Law and Maritime Law (listed annually since 2005)
- Recognized in "Chambers USA – America’s Leading Lawyers for Business" in the area of Gaming & Licensing (annually since 2005)
- Listed in the 2008 edition of Louisiana Super Lawyers in the area of Transportation/Maritime (also listed in 2007)
- AV® Peer Review Rating in Martindale-Hubbell. CV, BV and AV are registered certification marks of Reed Elsevier Properties Inc., used in accordance with the Martindale-Hubbell certification procedures, standards and policies. Martindale-Hubbell is the facilitator of a peer review rating process. Ratings reflect the confidential opinions of members of the Bar and the Judiciary. Martindale-Hubbell Ratings fall into two categories—legal ability and general ethical standards.
News
- Jones Walker Attorneys and Practices Ranked by “Chambers USA – America’s Leading Lawyers for Business”
- Forty Jones Walker Attorneys Recognized in the 2008 Edition of Louisiana Super Lawyers
- Fifty-Two Jones Walker Attorneys Named in The Best Lawyers in America® 2008; Jones Walker Top-Listed in Louisiana
- Duncan Recognized in Gaming & Licensing by Chambers USA
- Forty-Seven Jones Walker Attorneys Listed in the 2007 Edition of Louisiana Super Lawyers; One In Top Ten, Four In Top Fifty, Two In Top Twenty-Five Women
- Duncan Elected Chairman of Audubon Nature Institute Board of Directors
Publications
- "Import Procedures and Restrictions"
A Foreign Investor’s Guide to Doing Business in Louisiana, Chapter 24, 1993
Memberships
- American Association of Exporters and Importers (Member)
- American Bar Association (Member, Sections on Admiralty and Maritime Law and Business Law, Marine Financing and Gaming Law Committees; Section on Tort Trial and Insurance Practice)
- Association of Average Adjusters of the United States (Member)
- Audubon Boulevard Association (Member, Board of Directors; Past President)
- Audubon Nature Institute (Chairman; Past Vice-Chairman, Treasurer, and Parliamentarian; Member, Board of Directors, Executive Committee, Finance Committee, and Nature Center Committee; Past Chairman, Legal Committee; Past Member, Grounds Committee; Chairman, Annual Fund, 1998; Member, Zoo-To-Do Sponsor Committee)
- Bureau of Governmental Research (Member, Board of Directors; Chairman, Development Committee; Member, Executive, Strategic Planning, and 75th Anniversary Committees)
- Chamber of Commerce of New Orleans and the River Region (Past Chairman, Port and Waterways Advisory Committee; Past Member, Long Range Planning, State Legislation, and Area Committees)
- Federal Bar Association (Member)
- Gaming Law Review (Editorial Board)
- Georgetown University Alumni (Member, Louisiana Admission Committee)
- Georgetown University Board of Governors (Past Member)
- Georgetown University Club of Louisiana (Member; Past President)
- International Association of Gaming Attorneys (Member)
- International Masters of Gaming Law (Treasurer)
- Louisiana Children’s Museum (Member, Advisory Committee; Chairman, 2007 Nominating Committee; Past President, Board of Directors; Past Member, Executive Committee, Finance Committee, Development Committee, and Long Range Planning Committee)
- Louisiana Nature and Science Center (Past President, Board of Directors; Past Member, Executive Committee, Long Range Planning Committee, and Finance Committee)
- Louisiana State Bar Association (Member, Sections on Admiralty and International Law)
- Maritime Law Association of the United States (Member, Sections on Marine Financing and Carriage of Goods; Past Speaker at the Annual Meeting)
- Metropolitan Area Committee (Member; Past participant, MAC Leadership Forum, 1982)
- National Center for Wetlands Education (Past President)
- New Orleans Bar Association (Past Chairman, Maritime and International Law Committee)
- New Orleans Maritime Seminar (Member, Advisory and Planning Committees; Past Moderator and Speaker at annual seminar)
- New Orleans Regional Leadership Institute (Class of 2005)
- Society for Environmental Education (Past President; Member, Board of Directors)
- Southeastern Admiralty Law Institute (Member; Past Speaker at the Annual Meeting)
- Trinity Episcopal Church (Member, Endowment Committee)
- Trinity Episcopal School (Past Member, Board of Trustees and Finance Committee; Past Chairman, Development Committee)
- Tulane Latin American Law Institute (Advisory Committee)
- United Way (Past Professional Group Solicitor)
- World Trade Center (Member; Past Member, Transportation Committee)
- Young Leadership Council (Past Member, Board of Directors)
