Kevin Kelehan, a partner with Carney, Kelehan, Bresler, Bennett & Scherr LLP, received the Housing Legacy Award from Heritage Housing Partners Corp., which works to promote and provide affordable housing and related services.

The award recognizes Kelehan’s decades of work contributing to developing affordable housing in Howard County and the state of Maryland. He received one of the two inaugural Heritage Housing Partners Housing Legacy Awards along with his friend Thomas Carbo, who received the award posthumously for his years of service, most recently as director of Howard County’s department of housing.

Kelehan focuses on real estate law, primarily real estate finance and affordable housing. He represents lenders and borrowers throughout the acquisition, development and lending process. In addition, Kelehan has an active construction law practice, where he represents contractors, and he serves as a resource to national firms for both local representation and work in government contracting.

Kelehan has been included in The Best Lawyers in America, the oldest peer-review publication in the legal profession, in 2012, 2016, 2017 and 2018. He received Howard Community College’s Trustees’ Award for his time and effort on behalf of the college and leadership as co-chair of the college’s capital campaign.

Kelehan has chaired the Howard County Housing Commission, the County Executive’s Task Force on Affordable Housing and Voices for Children for at-risk youth. He has also served on the Howard County Tourism and Promotion Council and the Howard County Library Advisory Committee and has been pro bono counsel to the Howard County Chamber of Commerce and the Columbia Festival of the Arts.

Kelehan is a member of the American Bar Association and a charter member of the organization’s Affordable Housing Forum. He is also a member of the Maryland State Bar Association and current Section Council member for the Construction Law Section. He has served on the Pro Bono Resource Center board and chaired “Law Links” under the Citizens’ Law-Related Education Program.

Kelehan earned his law degree from the University of Baltimore and graduated from University of Maryland, Baltimore County. He lives in Columbia.