Elizabeth Roff joined Arthur, Chapman, Kettering, Smetak & Pikala, P.A., in 2008. Her main area of practice is insurance defense litigation, specifically disputes falling under commercial general liability insurance policies. Elizabeth also does a substantial amount of work in the area of contractual risk transfer, particularly as it applies in construction cases.
Elizabeth began her career at Arthur Chapman in 2006 as a law clerk. While clerking with the firm, she worked with Ted Smetak to co-author Additional Insured Issues and Practice, an article focusing on the implications of additional insured endorsements in commercial general liability insurance policies. The article was incorporated into the fourth edition of the firm's Construction Law Desk Book.
Elizabeth co-authored and edited Minnesota Commercial General Liability Policy: Annotated, a desk book analyzing Minnesota 's interpretation of the Commercial General Liability Policy, with Ted Smetak, Bob Kettering, Bill LeMire, and Curt Ruwe. Recently, this desk book has been cited as authority by the Minnesota Court of Appeals in the unpublished decision of Grinnell Mutual Reinsurance Co. v. Ripley, A09-179, 2009 Minn. App. Unpub. LEXIS 1349, *8 (Minn. Ct. App. Dec. 29, 2009).
Elizabeth also co-authored with Paul Rocheford the Settlement Documents and Releases chapter of the 2009 Minnesota Motor Vehicle Accident Desk Book.
At the June 17, 2009, Insurance Deskbook Continuing Legal Education Seminar, Elizabeth presented on the post-loss duties of an insured. The presentation focused on the duty to cooperate and its interplay with an insured's refusal to enter into a loan receipt agreement as analyzed in the Minnesota Court of Appeals case of Cargill v. Ace American Insurance, 766 N.W.2d 58 (Minn. Ct. App. 2009).
While away from the office, Elizabeth spends a considerable amount of time working as a volunteer. She volunteers at WATCH, an organization dedicated to making the justice system more effective and responsive in handling cases of violence, particularly against women and children, and creating a more informed and involved public. She also volunteers at the Volunteer Lawyer Network Housing Clinic, primarily representing clients facing eviction or seeking rental reductions and/or repairs because of lax property owners and substandard living conditions.
Elizabeth J. Roff