[1] The firm, which has a strong presence in Appalachia and the Midwestern United States, was formed in 1822 when Benjamin H. Smith began practicing law in what was then Charleston, Virginia.

The firm employs more than 160 lawyers in offices throughout West Virginia, Kentucky, Indiana, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Washington, D.C., and Colorado.

Jackson Kelly was the subject of controversy due to its representation of coal companies in black lung cases.

The investigative journalist Chris Hamby alleges that Jackson Kelly has a decades-long history of "orchestrating sophisticated legal strategies to defeat claims [...] locking sick miners out of the benefits system.

[5] Jackson Kelly serves a wide variety of corporate and public clients in the following areas:[6] The firm is considered "the go-to place" for legal representation in the mining and coal industry.