I am fascinated by women who have the determination and ambition to succeed in traditionally male dominated fields. Kelly Hyman is the exemplification of entrepreneurship through perseverance using her acting backstory to give deep authenticity to her craft. She is forthright and in control of her career, because she created it from nothing! A path I can understand completely. Kelly has a wonderful story to tell that should put a smile on your face, because she is the real deal. She’s put in the hard work, by struggling to be the Kelly that she has become, one of the best attorneys in the field. Now, without further delay, Kelly Hyman.
WB: Where are you originally from?
KH: I was born in Miami Beach, Florida in the summer of 1969 and was raised by my single mother, who was from Australia. She was a former tennis professional player who struggled to make ends meet as a tennis coach. We moved to Southern California shortly after I was born because she could obtain better teaching opportunities there. We moved around a bit, but I grew up predominately in New York City and in the Los Angeles area, which was where a lot of people from the film and entertainment business lived. I got into the acting business at only five years old. My mother was giving Charlton Heston tennis lessons and asked him, half kidding, if he could get me an agent. He did! And thus, began my journey as a child actor and model. I started traveling to New York City to acquire acting work in 1979. Originally, it was only supposed to be a summer trip, but I kept getting auditions and the acting opportunities kept coming, so we ended up moving to New York. Once I got a bit older and started traveling to New York for work, I was booking a lot of modeling gigs and print ads on the East Coast. I did my first modeling job when I was nine or ten years old for Spaulding. Dozens of modeling jobs rolled in after that. One that I remember in particular was a full-page ad for Oreo Cookies in the New York Times with Marty Lions from the Jets and Scott Brunner from the Giants. By the way, Marty Lions made me promise to always be a Jet fan, and I always keep my promise, which irks my husband, who is a die-hard Dolphin fan. I was fortunate and ambitious enough to book modeling jobs with nearly all the big retail giants like Macy’s, Sears, JC Penny’s and other brands that were popular at the time. Los Angles and New York are both places I have very fond memories of growing up, and both cities will always have a special place in my heart.
WB: Tell me a bit about your path to where you are today?
KH: The path to where I am today was not always an easy one, in fact quite the opposite. I started out as a child actress in order to help my mother financially. A lot of my early life was spent worrying about finances, even when I was as young as five and six years old. Some child actors came from wealthy families and did not need the money, and so, it was more of a pass time for them. For my mother and I, booking acting jobs was crucial to our financial survival and failure was not an option. Acting for most actors is a very difficult life and you have to fight for every role. From those experiences, I learned that nothing comes easy in life and that I had to be tenacious to succeed. The feeling of responsibility was a big motivation for my acting, and it continues to be a driving force in my life. My mom instilled in me a hard work ethic ever since I was young. I always had a tremendous burden on me to help cover expenses and bills, even as a child. I will never forget my mother opening the mailbox and seeing the sad face she made because I didn’t get a residual check for one of my commercials. Our family’s financial survival was always on my mind. I learned through trial and error how to handle myself in work situations. I made sure to learn what a woman needed to do to make it as a woman in an industry that was even more male dominated than in other areas. I attended and graduated from UCLA. I put myself through college by working hard, taking out loans, and getting as many scholarships as I could. In 2000, I took a break from acting and modeling, and decided to pursue law school. It was a great decision. Ironically, one of the television shows I was on was Superior Court, where I was a witness that saw nude sunbathers. My acting experience comes in handy when I appear in court, and my tenacity helps me deal with difficult cases. I am grateful that I am an attorney specializing in class action and mass tort law. When publications started referring to me as a modern-day Erin Brokovich, it was particularly fulfilling because I am honored to be a lawyer who helps ordinary people. I still get to use many of my acting and communication skills as a litigator, and I also use the comfort I gained from being an actress to appear on camera to discuss challenging issues as a legal analyst on television. One thing I never really thought much about, was that I never seen any of the money from any of my acting or modeling projects. I have no idea to this day how much I actually made from any of these jobs. The money went to the agents, and then to my mom for us to live on. In 2000, I went to law school at the University of Florida College of Law and was award a J.D., with honors. I became a law clerk in Florida, before I moved briefly to Reno, Nevada to be a clerk for Judge Sandoval who went on to become the Governor of Nevada. Now I am practicing law at Franklin Azar & Associates, representing claimants in actions against a wide range of companies that have caused physical or financial injuries to consumers.
WB: Tell me about your professional world in your own words?
KH: I am proud of receiving an AV Preeminent rating from Martindale-Hubbell. My professional world crosses over between being an attorney, and a television legal analyst, but at the center of both is my need to fight for justice. Thankfully, women in the legal world are getting more leadership roles. The entertainment and legal worlds are both changing quickly in three key areas. Women are demanding equal treatment, technology is changing how the work is performed, and digital media is changing how we get our message to people. There is massive room for improvement as far as gender equality goes in terms of pay, amount of work done, and sexual harassment in the workplace, regardless of the woman’s role. Ironically, equal pay for equal work still does not exist in the legal world when comparing what men make with what women make for the same job. However, the law profession is helping bring equality to men and women, but we are definitely not there yet.
Digital media is something else that is changing the world for legal professionals. Far fewer people consume media through traditional channels like television and radio. In the past, there used to be only three or four major news outlets, so it was easy to reach people to inform them about new cases. Now the legal world has to adapt and rely on social media platforms and different technological innovations to reach audiences and educate them about their rights and about potential cases. Using websites like Instagram and LinkedIn has become a necessity.
WB: What is your specialty? What makes you the go/to for your field?
KH: My specialty is class action and mass tort law. In Florida, my work revolved around fighting for justice for victims of defective drugs and medical devices. I have worked on pursuing claims for damages caused by hip implants, drugs and a variety of medical devices. Anything that involves getting justice for ordinary people who have been harmed in any way is my life’s goal as a lawyer for Franklin D. Azar and Associates. I also donate my time for causes in which I believe. I am very passionate about defending people’s constitutional rights. I’m a member of the American Association for Justice and went to the United States Congress this month to lobby against forced arbitration, a policy that many corporations are trying to trick consumers into agreeing to because such clauses in my opinion are a violation of the 7th Amendment’s right to a jury trial. People are not aware of what they are giving up when signing digital contracts, so I am fighting for people to be able to keep their rights. I was on the Board of Directors for Dress for Success, Palm Beach County, an organization that helps empower women, and I have a desire to pass on my knowledge to other women.
WB: Why the Law? When did you decide you wanted to become an attorney?
KH: My desire in life has always been to help people. I knew I was going to become an attorney when I was in high school. We had a civics class and a teacher required us to rehearse a scene as if we were in court. A classmate at the time suggested that I be the lawyer because I was very good at arguing my position and would be an excellent advocate for my pretend client. After I graduated from college, I applied for law school, was accepted at the University of Florida, and the rest is history.
WB: Tell me about your passion for what you do?
KH: I’m passionate about helping people and knowing that I make a difference in people’s lives. I represented a lady that was harmed by a defective medical device and had such severe financial difficulty that when it was cold, she would use her oven to heat her home. Once her case was resolved she was able to buy a decent place to live. She sent me a beautiful hand written note saying thank you and that she was so thankful for the help. She no longer needs to use the stove to heat the place in which she was living. Knowing that I have positive effects on people like her is truly rewarding.
WB: Do you have fond family memories, or traditions that make you unique?
KH: As a child, when I would get an acting job, my mom and I would go out to dinner alone, to celebrate that I got a job. The dinners were never fancy, but it meant a lot to me to share my successes with the most important person in my life. Also, my mother loved to travel, and she imparted to me a desire and passion to visit and see other parts of the world and embrace different cultures. Every Friday, my husband, Paul G. Hyman, Jr. and I go out alone to dinner for our date night. It is a great way to remind us of how important we are to each other. Also, since my husband and I both enjoy traveling, we have a tradition that we give each other trips as our birthday present. This year my husband is taking me to South Africa for my birthday and I’m taking him to Scotland for his birthday.
WB: If you could be anywhere in the world, right now- where would that be? Doing what? With whom?
KH: If I could be anywhere in the world right now, I would be in the courtroom, advocating for justice for my clients (or out to dinner with my husband on date night).
