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Practice Areas

Foster Care Adoption, Stepparent + Second Parent Adoption, Domestic Infant Adoption, International Adoption, Surrogacy, International Surrogacy, ART Law + Gamete Donor Agreements, Adult Adoption, Immigration + Citizenship

Biography

Kelly is a fierce, compassionate and experienced advocate who provides legal representation to a broad range of diverse clients in all aspects of family formation, including assisted reproductive technology (ART), surrogacy and domestic and international adoptions.

 

She provides comprehensive guidance to clients and handles the full range of adoption matters, including domestic and international adoptions, stepparent and relative adoptions, adoptions from foster care and cases involving disruption, dissolution or contested adoption. She also helps clients navigate the legal complexities of surrogacy and assisted reproductive technology and counsels families through the immigration and naturalization process for foreign-born adopted children.

 

Proud mother to four children, one of whom was adopted from Vietnam and another domestically, Kelly has a genuine understanding of the personal aspects of adoption that shines through in the attentive and thoughtful way in which she represents her clients on their family-formation journeys. She has testified before Congress, tried cases to a verdict before juries and helped hundreds of clients around the world.

 

Kelly is recognized domestically and internationally for her commitment to defending the interests of vulnerable children in the U.S. and internationally.


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Experience &
Background

Prior to joining Fox Rothschild LLP, Kelly founded and led a North Carolina-based boutique adoption law firm, Dempsey Law Group. She previously practiced at Smith Moore Leatherwood LLP, before its combination with Fox Rothschild in 2018, as well as at a technology company and a nonprofit focused on vulnerable children.

 

Kelly also served as a law clerk to Judge William Webb of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina.

Education

  • Juris Doctor, summa cum laude, salutatorian, North Carolina Central University School of Law, 2005

Fun Facts

Kelly’s practice began with her own adoptions. Her personal experience profoundly changed every aspect of her life, including her work.

Awards

  • Attorney of the Year finalist, Daily Report, 2025
  • Power List for Family Law, North Carolina Lawyers Weekly, 2024
  • 50 Most Influential Women, North Carolina Lawyers Weekly, 2024
  • Angels in Adoption® honoree, Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute, 2024
  • Women in Business honoree, Charlotte Business Journal, 2024

Memberships

  • North Carolina State Bar
  • American Academy of Adoption and Assisted Reproduction Attorneys
  • American Bar Association
  • Harvard Law Child Advocacy Program
  • National Council for Adoption
  • Save Adoptions National Advocacy Group
  • American Immigration Lawyers Association

From Her Clients:

5 stars
"Kelly Dempsey is without a doubt the most dedicated, ethical, knowledgeable and reliable adoption attorney available. We should know: Her expertise and guidance have led our family through an adult stepparent adoption, an international adoption and a domestic adoption. I don’t think we've ever faced a situation or concern that she wasn’t able to handle. She led us through the almost endless mazes of legal filings and paperwork in an organized, thorough and knowledgeable manner. No question was ever too big or too small. In our first meeting, I knew that our growing family was in good hands. Ms. Dempsey has not only an impressive depth of knowledge of adoption issues, but her wise, thoughtful and compassionate approach calmed our nerves and made every complication or hurdle we faced seem manageable. There simply is no other attorney more skilled in her craft and more dedicated to her clients. I've never before looked forward to a visit to an attorney's office, but meeting with Ms. Dempsey was truly a pleasure. She is a straight-shooter so you never feel like you're wasting time, but she is also warm and empathetic so you feel that your needs are being given her complete attention. I will never be able to thank her enough for the help she gave us in creating our family."
The Hecht-Ribas Family

Publications +
Contributions

  • Immigration Law Basics, Fox Rothschild webinar, July 14, 2025.
  • SCOTUS Decision on Birthright Citizenship Injunctions: What It Is and What It Is Not, Academy of Adoption and Assisted Reproduction Attorneys webinar, July 2, 2025.
  • Advanced Legal Issues in Adoption, Assisted Reproductive Technology and Family Building 2025, Pennsylvania Bar Institute webinar, May 21, 2025.
  • Special Immigrant Juvenile – How to Handle the Adoption and Secure a Path to Citizenship, Academy of Adoption and Assisted Reproduction Attorneys, San Juan, Puerto Rico, May 6, 2025.
  • Facts About Family Formation, Fox Rothschild webinar, March 7, 2024.
  • 2023 Adoption Hall of Fame, National Council for Adoption, Washington, D.C., Nov. 14, 2023.
  • Secondary Trauma in Family Formation Legal Practice, Academy of Adoption and Assisted Reproduction Attorneys Mid-Year Conference, September 2023.
  • Special Immigrant Juvenile Status Mock Hearing, Academy of Adoption and Assisted Reproduction Attorneys Annual Conference, Huntington Beach, California, April 30, 2023.
  • Navigating Legal Issues for the Foreign-Born Child, National Council for Adoption Annual Conference, April 2022.
  • Hot Topics in International Adoption and Immigration, Academy of Adoption and Assisted Reproduction Attorneys Annual Conference, April 2022.
  • Intercountry Adoption Dialogue Session, Domestic Policy Council, May 2019.
  • Immigration Issues in Adoption of Foreign-Born Children, Academy of Adoption and Assisted Reproduction Attorneys Annual Conference, May 2018.
  • Building Your Adoption Disruption Toolbox, Academy of Adoption and Assisted Reproduction Attorneys Annual Conference, May 2018.
  • Everything You Need to Know About Adoptions, American Bar Association, December 2016.
  • Adoptions, National Business Institute CLE, December 2015.
  • The Growing Crisis of Africa’s Orphans, U.S. House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa and Human Rights, July 2014.

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