Attorney Profile

James R. Bell, Jr.

James R. Bell, Jr. is a life-long Floridian born and raised in South Florida. James is a member of the Florida Bar and began working at Kelly Passidomo & Kelly, LLP in the spring of 2024. He graduated from the University of Florida’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences in 2019 (B.A. in Political Science, Certificate in International Relations, Minors in History and French Language).

From there, James attended the Florida State University College of Law in Tallahassee. It was during his time at FSU Law that James first developed an interest in estate planning and tax law. Additionally, James was a member of his law school’s chapter of the RPPTL Section of the Florida Bar, the Federalist Society, and was an Admissions Ambassador. He also received the Pro-Bono Service Award for distinguished legal service to indigent clients and public interest causes, worked with the Veterans’ Law Clinic at FSU Law’s Public Interest Law Center, received a certificate in professional development, and enjoyed regularly attending oral arguments at the Florida Supreme Court. James graduated FSU Law with a Juris Doctorate (J.D.) in 2022.

James pursued his interest in estate planning and tax law to further his legal education by returning to Gainesville and attending the University of Florida’s Levin College of Law. There, his studies focused on tax topics related to estate planning and he engaged in supervised research and writing on charitable giving and its role in planning for income and estate taxation. James graduated from UF Law with a Master of Laws (LL.M.) in 2023.