Kelly K. Koss

Kelly K. Koss

Chicago, IL recognized lawyers icon Recognized in Best Lawyers since 2025
Barnes & Thornburg LLP

302 Best Lawyers awards

Barnes & Thornburg LLP logo

Awarded Practice Areas

Insurance Law

Biography

Kelly Koss focuses her practice in domestic and international construction and commercial litigation and arbitration. She is respected by clients for her counsel regarding litigation avoidance techniques and her willingness to work collaboratively to seek early resolution to disputes. When litigation is unavoidable, Kelly is prepared to advocate zealously for her clients to achieve desired results.

Kelly represents owners, developers, contractors and design professionals in disputes related to construction projects, including construction and design defect claims; professional liability claims; delay, disruption and acceleration claims; extra work claims; and mechanic lien claims. She also has experience with matters involving contract disputes, insurance bad faith, and professional negligence.

Kelly's experience as a municipal planner in Michigan before becoming an attorney adds depth to her construction law practice. As a municipal planner, she regularly worked with city and township stakeholders, developers, engineers, and design professionals to finalize development plans. She was also responsible for advising community boards regarding land use and zoning issues, and facilitating public workshops as part of a long-term community master planning effort.

In her current practice, Kelly routinely researches and drafts virtually all types of pleadings and motions pertinent to litigation and both domestic and international arbitration, including International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) arbitration. Kelly is also experienced with litigation discovery (including having taken and defended numerous depositions), and she has argued complex dispositive and discovery motions in court and conducted settlement negotiations.

During law school, Kelly was a Baum fellow and law clerk for the Chicago Legal Clinic’s Environmental and Energy Law Clinic, an honors intern with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and a mayoral fellow for then-Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel.

Barnes & Thornburg LLP

302 Best Lawyers awards

Barnes & Thornburg LLP logo

Overview

  • Chicago-Kent College of Law at IIT, J.D., graduated 2015
  • Chicago-Kent College of Law at IIT, J.D., graduated 2015

Client Testimonials

Awards & Focus

Recognized in The Best Lawyers in America® 2026 for work in:
  • Insurance Law
Recognized in Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch® in America from 2023-2024 for work in:
  • Construction Law - 2024
  • Construction Law - 2023
Additional Areas of Practice:
  • Commercial Litigation
  • Construction Law

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