Katherine Otto
Katherine Otto is an accomplished trial lawyer with substantial experience as lead counsel in jury trials. She specializes in professional liability defense, including health care professionals and attorneys. Katherine’s primary practice is devoted to representing professionals facing civil claims and malpractice lawsuits. She also has extensive experience defending professionals in licensing, credentialing, and disciplinary matters before various regulatory boards and agencies. In addition, Katherine has significant experience defending claims of boundary violations and sexual misconduct. She has tried cases to verdict in state and federal courts, and in multiple states on pro hac vice admission.
Katherine’s practice is unique because she is licensed in Colorado and New York, and maintains an active practice in both states. She is also admitted to practice in federal court in both Colorado and New York. Katherine began her legal career in Colorado after graduating from the University of Denver Sturm College of Law, where she served on Law Review and received multiple Scholastic Excellence Awards. Following graduation from law school, Katherine served in a one-year judicial clerkship for the Honorable Gerald Rafferty in the 18th District of Colorado. Following completion of the clerkship, she joined a national law firm as an associate attorney.
After 8 years of Colorado practice, Katherine accepted a Partner position with a mid-size law firm with offices in multiple states, and she moved to New York, where she lived and worked in Manhattan for several years. She then returned to Colorado, but continued building her practice in New York. She currently splits her time between the Denver and New York offices of Recht Kornfeld, and leads attorneys on her team that are full-time in each location. Katherine’s mastery of practicing in two different states is reflected in the exceptional service she provides to her clients. Her paramount concern is always the best interest of her client, and she works collaboratively with her clients to understand and achieve the best outcome for each client’s individual situation. Most importantly, she is a zealous and fearless advocate when it comes to defending her clients at trial.
Katherine is rated AV Preeminent, and has received many accolades from her peers, including being named to Colorado’s Super Lawyers list as a Rising Star from 2014 – 2018, and a Colorado Super Lawyer from 2020 to present. She was selected to the Super Lawyers - Top 50 Women Lawyers in Colorado in 2024, and also named to the Best Lawyers in America list, as well as selected as a Top Lawyer by Denver’s 5280 Magazine. She devotes a significant portion of her practice to mentoring other lawyers, and is particularly committed to inclusion of diverse individuals and the LGBTQ+ community.
Katherine is an animal lover and started fostering giant breed dogs through Big Dogs Huge Paws in 2020. She has three Newfoundlands and three cats, and when not caring for her menagerie of animals, she enjoys running half-marathons and spending time with her family and friends.