Kelly Sofio
Areas of Practice: No-Fault and Auto Liability Insurance Defense Litigation, Transportation Litigation, Insurance Coverage
Office Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota
Phone: 612.336.9351 / Email: ksofio@lommen.com
Kelly Sofio / Biography
With over 25 years of experience in her defense practice, Kelly Sofio is regarded by her peers and her clients as an authority on first-party automobile insurance law. She has tried numerous jury and court trials, as well as binding arbitrations. She has experience defending personal injury claims, uninsured and underinsured motorist claims, dealing with allegations of bad faith (both first-party and third-party) and resolving cases with multiple claimants and limited liability coverage.
She has adjudicated over 3,000 AAA and District Court no-fault and bodily injury cases and appeals, and appeared in front of the Minnesota Court of Appeals, the Minnesota Workers’ Compensation Court of Appeals, and the Minnesota Supreme Court in the successful case Western Nat’l Ins. Co. v. Nguyen, 902 N.W.2d 645 (Minn. App. 2017), aff’d mem. (Minn. Sup. Ct. March 23, 2018).
She is currently on the Board of Directors for the Minnesota Defense Lawyers Association, and is currently involved in the Women in the Law, Motor Vehicle Accident and Diversity committees.
Kelly is an AAA certified no-fault arbitrator. Her articles on winning strategies in no-fault cases have been published in the Minnesota Defense and Minnesota Claims magazines. She continues to conduct no-fault seminars for the Minnesota Defense Lawyers Association, the Twin Cities Claims Association and insurance company clients. Kelly routinely is the first call her colleagues and clients make when they have questions about Minnesota auto insurance law.
She is recognized in The Best Lawyers in America© for her work in the practice area of Transportation Law and is listed as a 2023 Super Lawyer for her work in personal injury defense.
Leadership + Activities
- Minnesota Defense Lawyers Association, 2002 to present; Board, 2023
- American Arbitration Association No-Fault Arbitrator Panel, 2004 to present
Presentations
- “What’s Covered, What’s Not Covered – Analyzing Advanced Coverage Issues in 2024,” 2024 Uninsured Motorist, Underinsured Motorist, No-Fault Insurance, and Bodily Injury Update, Minnesota CLE, March 2024
- “No-Fault Case Law and Arbitration Update,” Insurance Law for the Non-Specialist, Minnesota CLE, August 2023
- “Minnesota No-Fault Update,” Twin Cities Claims Association Annual Meeting, February 2023
- “No-Fault Trends,” Twin Cities Claims Association Annual Meeting, 2018
- “Statute 62Q Defense and the Supreme Court,” MDLA Motor Vehicle Committee, 2017
- “No-Fault Here and Now and What Is on the Horizon,” Twin Cities Claims Association Annual Meeting, 2017
- “Current No-Fault Issues for Adjusters,” Twin Cities Claims Association Annual Meeting, 2016
- “Adjusting Minnesota No-Fault Claims for Success in the AAA,” Metropolitan Council, 2015
- “Emergency Accident Response,” Metropolitan Council, 2014
- “A Defense Arbitrator’s Perspective of AAA No-Fault,” Twin Cities Claims Association, 2013
- “Women in the Law,” Hamline Women’s Legal Caucus, 2013
- “Securing an Unbiased Arbitrator,” Twin Cities Claims Association, 2012
Published Articles
- “No-Fault Claims Handling & Arbitration,” Chapter 24 Author, Sixth Edition of the Motor Vehicle Accident Deskbook, Minnesota CLE, 2023 to 2024
- “The District Court No-Fault Trial: The Adjuster is the Key,” Minnesota Claims magazine
- “No-Fault or Our Fault? Ideas on How We Can Solve Many of Our Own No-Fault Problems,” Minnesota Defense magazine, 2006
Education
- University of Minnesota, B.A., 1993, (International Relations), Dean’s List, 1991-1993
- Hamline University School of Law, J.D., 1998
Bar Admissions
- Minnesota, 1998
Awards
News + Articles
Emergency Accident Response
Kelly Sofio and her former partner presented on response to catastrophic accidents to claims personnel at the Metropolitan Council in 2014.
Women in the Law
Kelly Sofio presented at the 2013 Hamline Women's Legal Caucus as a part of a panel discussing the current practice of law for women lawyers, where they have come from and where they need to go.
A Defense Arbitrator’s Perspective of AAA No-Fault
Arbitrator panel member Kelly Sofio presented to adjusters of the Twin Cities Claims Association in 2013 on things to look for in using either in-house or outside counsel for defense of no-fault arbitrations.
Securing an Unbiased Arbitrator
Kelly Sofio spoke to the Twin Cities Claims Association along with co-presenter David Larrabee in 2011 on the topic of "Securing an Unbiased Arbitrator."
The District Court No-Fault Trial: The Adjuster is the Key
As medical and wage loss expense claims continue to rise for even the most minor car accidents, post-termination claims are growing as well. In order to get the full amount of medicals considered along with any wage loss or replacement services claims, Plaintiffs...
No-Fault or Our Fault? Ideas on How We Can Solve Many of Our Own No-Fault Problems
Bodily injury liability filings and verdicts are lower than any time in the last decade, but No-Fault filings and awards are higher than ever. Our carriers are deluged with No-Fault claims which often are worth several thousand dollars before the carrier gets its...