Determination is defined by the Miriam-Webster dictionary as “a quality that makes you continue trying to do or achieve something that is difficult.” Those who overcome challenges, beat the odds, and rise to the top of their field will often cite determination as the key to their success.
Kelly Hyman can attest to the power of determination. She has had success as an actress, an author, an attorney, a legal analyst, and a political commentator. And as she says in the introduction to her new book, Build Back Better: The First 100 Days of the Biden Administration, and Beyond, determination combined with courage and preparation has empowered her to achieve her dreams and become a strong advocate for the rights of others.
Kelly’s acting career got started quite serendipitously when she was only five years old in California. Her mother, Patricia Bindley, who was raising Kelly on her own, was working as a tennis pro and one of her clients was Charleton Heston, who was already known around the world for his portrayals of Mark Antony, John the Baptist, and Moses in major Hollywood films.
During a tennis lesson, Kelly’s mom introduced her to Heston and asked the famous actor to help her to get an agent for her daughter, which he did. Soon Kelly was appearing as an actress in off-Broadway plays, commercials, and television shows, including John Astin’s TV pilot Getting There in 1980, Charles Matthau’s comedy Doin’ Time on Planet Earth in 1988, and The Young and the Restless in 1986.
Kelly credits acting with giving her an opportunity to become “a better version of myself — that is, outspoken and determined.”
While still working as an actress, Kelly enrolled in the University of California at Los Angeles and received her Bachelor of Arts in Communication in 1998. She continued her education by earning a Masters in Communication at Barry University in 2000 and a Juris Doctor at the Fredric G. Levin College of Law at the University of Florida in 2003.
It was during her college years that Kelly’s interest in justice issues and politics blossomed, inspiring her to serve as a White House intern during the Clinton administration. Since then she has been involved with numerous political endeavors, including volunteering in support of election campaigns for former President Bill Clinton, former President Barack Obama, and President Joe Biden. Kelly also served as a poll watcher to protect voter rights during the 2016 presidential election. She is a life-long member of the Democratic Party.
Kelly’s involvement in politics combined with her acting background perfectly prepared her for her role as a legal analyst and political commentator. She is regularly called upon to comment on breaking legal cases and political developments and has earned a reputation as a Democratic strategist who is not shy about speaking her mind on national television, even when the show and its hosts do not share her views. Her list of appearances includes being featured on Law & Crimes, Fox News, CourtTV, OANN, and Fox and Friends First.
Kelly’s legal career has put her in a position to help scores of people through her work as a class action and mass tort attorney with The Hyman Law Firm, P.A., in West Palm Beach, Florida. She has represented hundreds of claimants in cases filed in both state and federal courts involving water contamination, tobacco, and other health related issues, inspiring Forbes magazine to refer to her as a “Modern Day Erin Brockovich.” A recent case has her representing clients in a class-action suit concerning Natural American Spirit Cigarettes (Santa Fe Natural Tobacco Company Marketing and Sales Practices) pending in the US District Court for the District of New Mexico.
“I want my clients to know that they can go back to their lives with a sense of peace, knowing that I will do my best to solve their problems,” says Kelly about her work as a lawyer.
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