Katherine Kelley Otto, Partner

Katherine Otto is a trial lawyer and leads the defense of healthcare professionals in Colorado and New York. Her practice is primarily devoted to professional malpractice litigation and defense of licensure before state licensing boards. In addition, she frequently advises healthcare professionals on risk management and employment issues that arise in the healthcare context. She has represented every level of healthcare licensure across multiple disciplines, including medical, chiropractic, dental, podiatry, mental health, and veterinary medicine. She also has experience defending attorneys in malpractice actions and grievances before the Office of Attorney Regulation.

Katherine also defends catastrophic personal injury litigation, and has successfully defended FLSA claims in nationwide arbitrations. She has extensive experience at all levels of litigation, and has tried cases to jury verdict in both state and federal courts. She enjoys teaching continuing legal education seminars to her colleagues and risk management continuing education to her clients.

At Messner Reeves, Katherine mentors a team of associates in the Colorado and New York offices. She regularly conducts in-house training sessions, and is committed to the professional development of attorneys on her team. She is rated AV Preeminent by Martindale-Hubbell, and a Colorado Super Lawyer.

Katherine is also active in a number of professional organizations. She has held a leadership position on the Medical Liability Committee for the Defense Research Institute (DRI) since 2018, and is currently serving as Marketing Chair for Medical Liability and Healthcare annual conference. She has worked with Colorado Attorney Mentoring Program (CAMP) and Metro Volunteer Lawyers as a volunteer attorney. She is active with the New York State Medical Defense Bar organization, and previously served on the Board of Directors for the Colorado Defense Lawyers Association as Communications Director from 2014 – 2018.

She is personally and professionally committed to advancing inclusion and equity in the legal profession, with a focus on women, BIPOC, and LGBTQ+. Outside of work, one of her passions is volunteering with a non-profit dog rescue, Big Dogs Huge Paws. She has three Newfoundlands, and she fosters giant breeds in search of their forever homes. She also enjoys training for and running half-marathons.

Prior to joining Messner Reeves, Katherine was an attorney at a national law firm for 9 years, following completion of a one-year judicial clerkship in Colorado’s 18th Judicial District.

Position	Organization	Location	Duration
Attorney	McElroy, Deutsch, Mulvaney & Carpenter		2008-2017

School	Degree	Major	Graduation
Sturm College of Law, University of Denver	JD	Law School	2007
University of Northern Colorado	B.A.		2004

State / Court	Date
New York	2017
Colorado	2007

• Board of Directors, Communications Director, Colorado Defense Lawyers Association -2014 – Present
  American Bar Association – 2007 – Present
  Association of Healthcare Risk Management of New York, 2017 – Present
  Colorado Bar Association – 2007 – Present
  Defense Research Institute – 2015 – Present
  Denver Bar Association – 2007 – Present
  Medical Malpractice Committee, Vice-Chair, Colorado Defense Lawyers Association -2013-2014
  Colorado Pledge to Diversity Committee – 2014 – 2017
  Membership Committee Chair, Colorado Defense Lawyers Association – 2011-2014
  Metro Volunteer Lawyers – 2009-2010
  New York City Bar Association 2017 – Present
  New York State Medical Defense Bar Association 2017 – Present
  DRI, Women in the Law Committee – 2016 – Present
  DRI, Medical Liability and Healthcare Committee
  Defense Attorneys of New York, 2016 – Present
  Claims and Litigation Management Alliance, 2018 – Present

• Super Lawyer Rising Star 2014 – 2018
  Super Lawyer 2020 – present
  AV Preeminent 2018 – present

• Embracing Social Media Investigation: Five Steps to Optimize Admissibility at Trial, For the Defense, 05.2018
  The Lack of Insurance Coverage and Reimbursement for Medical Marijuana, J. Zen Jackson and K. Otto, M.D. Advisor,10.18.2013

Sun.	Mon.	Tue.	Wed.	Thu.	Fri.	Sat.
	9:00 am - 5:00 pm	9:00 am - 5:00 pm	9:00 am - 5:00 pm	9:00 am - 5:00 pm	9:00 am - 5:00 pm

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