Young Memphis Honoree: Kelsey Duckett

Get to know Kelsey Duckett, PPLC as an Associate Attorney in Harris Shelton Hanover Walsh and Greater Memphis Chamber 2020 Young Memphis Honoree.

What event or accomplishment has been the most impactful for your career so far?

Working with Baptist Hospital to secure a multi-million-dollar bond transaction and also working with a group of investors to help erect Union Row Memphis has been the most impactful for my career so far.

What motivates you to be active in your community or profession?

What motivates me to be active in my community and profession is my own personal goals. I know that I cannot excel on my own and need the help of others around me to help me achieve those goals.

What does “being a young professional in Memphis” mean to you?

Being a young professional in Memphis means to be a role model and leader for younger generations to come in order to continue the growth of Memphis as a whole.

What do you like about living in Memphis? 

What I like about living in Memphis is Memphis during the Springtime. Memphis in the Spring consists of lots of festivals. Everything from crawfish festivals to Memphis in May.

What advice do you have for new young professionals interested in starting or building their career in Memphis?

The advice I have for new young professionals is to join as many groups and associations as possible. Getting out there and networking with other professionals will open many doors.

Who do you most admire and why?

I admire Judy A. Smith, the lawyer who inspired the TV show Scandal. Judy Smith being a woman of color, serving in the White House and then starting her own leading strategic advisory firm inspires me to strive for the highest positions not only for myself but other black women to come.

Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

In 10 years, I see myself progressing within the legal profession becoming in house counsel for a fortune 500 corporation.

What’s your favorite thing about being a young professional in Memphis?

My favorite thing about being a young professional in Memphis is that I am able to network and work around with other young professionals in the city, even some of who I grew up being born and raised in Memphis.

Interested in getting plugged in? Learn more about the Chamber's Young Professionals Council here.