Kristi Cahoon Kelly - Fairfax, VA
Attorney at Kelly Guzzo, PLC
Consumer Law Lawyers in Fairfax, VA
3925 Chain Bridge Rd. Suite 202 Fairfax, VA 22030 - 6803
- Free Consultation
- 1 Super Lawyers®
-
20
Years
Experience
Fairfax Consumer Law Lawyer
Updated: 03/10/2026
Areas of Practice
- Consumer Law 90%
- Real Property Litigation 10%
Litigation: 100%
Attorney Information
Overview
Kristi C. Kelly is a consumer protection attorney with a genuine commitment to representing the most vulnerable – and often overlooked – consumers in federal and state courts in Virginia, Maryland, and the District of Columbia. Ms. Kelly is widely acknowledged as a leading expert in consumer law. In 2014, Virginia Lawyers Weekly recognized her as a “Leader in the Law,” an annual award given to attorneys that set the standard in their field, and one of the most prestigious honors a Virginia lawyer can receive. She is described by her peers as someone “who takes – and wins – the cases others won’t touch.”
Kristi specializes in assisting consumers with credit reporting and employment background check mistakes, mortgage servicing errors and abusive debt collection practices. She has successfully litigated hundreds of individual and class action cases against banks, brokers, auto dealers, online lenders, debt collectors, credit card companies, credit bureaus and foreclosure rescue scammers, receiving a $686,000 verdict in her first jury trial, in addition to her attorney fees from a foreclosure rescue scammer in 2010.
Kristi is a regular speaker on credit reporting and mortgage servicing issues for the National Consumer Law Center, National Association of Consumer Advocates, the Virginia Continuing Legal Education program, and various legal aid organizations throughout the country. She frequently volunteers her time to speak to various nonprofit and community organizations to train and educate individual and community stakeholders on their rights as consumers, and has been a presenter at various trainings on the statewide and local level focusing on foreclosure prevention, consumer rights for domestic violence survivors, landlord tenant law, predatory loans, dealing with debt collectors and understanding credit reports. Kristi also regularly volunteers her time to assist consumers and members of the active duty military and veterans in need who are referred from legal aid and other nonprofit organizations.
For over a decade, Kristi has worked with Virginia’s General Assembly to fight predatory loans, and has also testified before the General Assembly regarding various mortgage related and foreclosure reform bills. She serves on the Board of Directors for the Legal Aid Justice Center and National Association of Consumer Advocates. She is also on the Partner’s Council of the National Consumer Law Center.
Kristi was previously a shareholder at Surovell Isaacs Petersen & Levy and a housing and consumer law attorney for Legal Services of Northern Virginia. While at Legal Services, she co-founded the Foreclosure Legal Assistance Program to provide legal advice and housing counseling to prevent foreclosures. In that capacity, she supervised and trained a network of attorneys and staff throughout northern Virginia.
Upon graduating from the University of Richmond T.C. Williams School of Law, Kristi received the Nina R. Kestin award for her extraordinary contributions to the school, community and profession of law. She received her undergraduate degree cum laude from Dickinson College, where she was a four-year varsity soccer player.
Kristi lives in Oakton, Virginia with her husband, Matt and two sons, Joey and Charlie.
Awards and Honors
Honors
- Super Lawyers Rising Stars, 2012 - 2014
- Wall Street Journal's Capital Region's Premier Lawyers , 2015 - Present
Other Sources of Feedback About Kristi Cahoon Kelly
Included on the 2026 Virginia Super Lawyers list
Past Lists
- 2025 Virginia Super Lawyers list
- 2024 Virginia Super Lawyers list
- 2023 Washington DC Super Lawyers list
- 2022 Washington DC Super Lawyers list
- 2021 Washington DC Super Lawyers list
- 2020 Washington DC Super Lawyers list
- 2019 Washington DC Super Lawyers list
- 2018 Washington DC Super Lawyers list
- 2017 Washington DC Super Lawyers list
- 2016 Washington DC Super Lawyers list
- 2015 Washington DC Super Lawyers list
- 2014 Washington DC Super Lawyers list
- 2013 Washington DC Super Lawyers list
- 2012 Virginia Super Lawyers list
Education
-
Legal Education
-
University of Richmond, School of Law,
Richmond,
Virginia
J.D.
-
University of Richmond, School of Law,
Richmond,
Virginia
-
Non Legal Education
-
Dickinson College,
Carlisle,
Pennsylvania
B.A.
-
Dickinson College,
Carlisle,
Pennsylvania
Current Employment Position(s)
-
Partner
Past Positions
- Surovell Isaacs Petersen & Levy, PLC, Partner (2013-2014), 2010 - 2014
- Legal Services of Northern Virginia, Attorney, 2007 - 2010
Classes and Seminars
-
Credit Report Mistakes with Mortgage Modifications, Metropolitan Washington Council of Gover, 2014
- Mortages and Foreclosure Prevention, Virginia CLE, 2013
Pro Bono Activities
- Virginia Poverty Law Center, Board of Directors, 2012 - Present
- Fairfax Bar Association, Consumer Law Pro Bono Program, 2012 - 2013
- Legal Aid Justice Center, Board of Directors , 2018 - Present
- National Association of Consumer Advocates, Board of Directors , 2018 - Present
- National Consumer Law Center, Partner’s Council , 2017 - Present
- Fairfax Bar Association, Pro Bono Committee Member, 2018 - Present
Representative Cases
-
Kelly v. Nationstar Mort., LLC
- Citation: 2013 WL 5874704
- Court: EDVA
- Year: 2013
-
Fariasantos v. Rosenberg & Assc., LLC
- Citation: 2014 WL 928206
- Court: EDVA
- Year: 2014
-
Boyd V. Equifax Info. Servs., LLC
- Citation: 2013 WL 2896859
- Year: 2013
-
Goodrow v. Friedman & MacFadyen, P.A.
- Citation: 788 F. Supp. 2d 464
- Court: ED Va
- Year: 2011
-
Dreher v. Experian Info. Solutions, Inc.
- Citation: 2013 WL 2389878
- Court: ED Va
- Year: 2012
-
JAVID, v. SOS INTERNATIONAL, LTD
- Citation: 2013 WL 2286046
- Court: ED Va
- Year: 2013
-
Ceccone v. Equifax Info. Servs., LLC,
- Citation: 2015 WL 221720
- Court: DDC
- Year: 2015
-
Robinson-Huntley v. George Washington Carver Mut. Homes Assn.,
- Citation: 756 S.E.2d 415, 420
- Year: 2014
Bar Admissions
- Virginia, 2006
- District of Columbia, 2007
- U.S. District Court Eastern District of Virginia, 2008
- Maryland, 2014
Other Affiliations
- National Association of Consumer Advocates
- Virginia Women's Attorney Association
- Virginia Trial Lawyers Association
- Fairfax Bar Association
- Alexandria Bar Association
Photo
Contact
3925 Chain Bridge Rd.
Suite 202
Fairfax, VA 22030 - 6803
Phone: 703-424-7570
Fax: 703-591-0167
Email: Send a message
Website: http://www.kellyguzzo.com
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