Kelsey is a Partner at HWS Law Group’s Seattle office who focuses her practice on complex civil and commercial litigation. Her practice involves handling of a wide range of cases, including catastrophic injuries, traumatic brain injuries, product liability, premises liability, medical and professional liability and construction defects.  She is admitted to practice in the federal and state courts in Alaska, Idaho and Washington.  As an admittee to several state and federal bars, Kelsey is adept to represent and manage risk for clients who do business across the Pacific Northwest.

Kelsey’s well-versed legal background has provided her with the ability to evaluate key issues and identify strategic opportunities in her cases. This enables her clients to efficiently prepare for trial or pursue favorable early resolution of matters when appropriate.  Kelsey works closely with her clients to exchange ideas and possible solutions and believes that this close collaboration results in successful outcomes for her clients.

Kelsey is actively engaged in Washington’s civil defense legal community through participation in committees and associations.  She is the Associate Editor for the Washington Defense Trial Lawyers (WDTL) Defense News quarterly publication, has authored articles regarding jury trials and changes in Washington law and serves as a Board of Trustee on the WDTL Board.  Kelsey also manages HWS Law Group’s newsletter which advises clients on recent developments in Washington law and the potential implications to their business.  She was also selected as a “Rising Star” by Super Lawyers in 2021 and 2022, a distinction awarded to no more than 2.5% of lawyers in Washington State.

Kelsey is a Seattle native and an avid Husky and Seahawks fan. In her free time, she enjoys cooking, visiting Washington wineries, attending comedy shows, concerts and other local live performances.

Representative Work

• Obtained directed verdict on a claim breach of indemnity following presentation of plaintiff’s case at jury trial in Benton County, Washington in case involving a fall by a worker on a construction site through second-story, temporary fall protection barrier.  Plaintiff alleged the client framing subcontractor had failed to properly install the barrier.
• Obtained a defense verdict for a major home improvement retailer at a jury trial in Western District of Washington in a case involving a claim made by a customer who tripped and fell on palletized merchandise.
• Obtained a directed verdict on plaintiff’s claim for fraud following presentation of plaintiff’s case on fraud, violation of the consumer protection act and breach of contract stemming from an alleged defective roof installation at a jury trial in King County, Washington.  At the close of the case, the jury entered a defense verdict on plaintiff’s consumer protection act claim and awarded plaintiff damages in the amount of the defense’s scope of repair on the breach of contract claim.
• Obtained a defense verdict on a negligence claim at a jury trial in Palmer, Alaska.  Plaintiff alleged that the defendant was negligent when it began stocking merchandising before the store closed.  The jury found that the defendant was negligent but found that the defendant’s negligence did not cause plaintiff’s alleged damages and therefore issued a defense verdict.
• Obtained summary judgment dismissal of client in construction defect case based on the expiration of the statute of limitations given the lack of evidence that a written contract existed and thus the claim was limited to a three year statute of limitations.

Publications 

What In-Person Jury Trials Look Like During COVID-19 Pandemic in Washington State

Implications of the Washington Supreme Court’s Ruling in Gerlach v. The Cove Apartments, LLC Regarding the Affirmative Defense Voluntary Intoxication

Honors

• Rising Star – Thompson Reuters