Sofia serves as group leader for Summit’s Labor/Employment practice. She represents public and private entities in a wide range of labor and employment matters, including negotiating collective bargaining agreements and advising on labor and employment law compliance, grievance arbitration and unfair labor practice cases.

Before entering private practice, Sofia served as an assistant city attorney in central Washington. She draws on her public-service experience to provide effective counsel to clients on a range of matters. Today, her clients include cities, fire districts, port districts, counties, libraries, special purpose districts, and other governmental and quasi-governmental entities.

A highly skilled negotiator, Sofia understands the complexities and nuances of labor issues confronted by employers, unions and elected officials. She recognizes the sometimes-competing, often-overlapping end goals of each party. With these factors in mind, and as a strong advocate for her clients, she focuses on developing practical, workable solutions that align objectives, achieve shared goals and preserve critical labor-management relationships. She regularly conducts training that helps employers minimize risk and and emphasizes that the same factors that apply to her own work — communication and trust — are essential elements to the labor-management relationship.

When disputes arise, Sofia appears before federal and state agencies, including the Washington State Public Employment Relations Commission, the National Labor Relations Board, the United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, as well as before grievance and interest arbitration panels and in litigation heard in state and federal courts.

One of two women labor and employment lawyers ranked in Chambers USA for Washington state, Sofia speaks regularly on a range of legal labor and employment law topics. She has been a featured presenter and panelist at numerous industry conferences, for continuing legal education seminars and at client training programs. Among other presentations, she has spoken at conferences held by the Association of Washington Cites Labor Relations Institute, the Washington Association of Public Records Officers, the Washington Public Employment Labor Relations Association, the National Business Institute, the Labor and Employment Relations Association, and the National Public Employer Labor Relations Association.

• American Bar Association
• Washington State Bar Association
• King County Bar Association
• Washington State Association of Municipal Attorneys (WSAMA)

• Seattle University School of Law
  JD, summa cum laude, 2001
  Presidential Scholarship; Dean's List; Winner of four CALI awards for first in class
• Georgetown University
  BA, 1996
  Dean's List

• Washington
• US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
• US District Court for the Eastern District of Washington
• US District Court for the Western District of Washington

• Yakima YWCA, Board Member (2004–2008), Treasurer (2005–2007)
• Seattle Repertory Theatre Crew, Board Member (2009–2010)

• Chambers USA, Labor and Employment, Washington (2018-2023)

• “Navigating Protected Leave During the COID-19 Pandemic, Including Federal Updates,” WAPELRA (April 2021)
• “Leave-ing the Pandemic: COVID-19 Impacts on Leave Law and Policy,” AWC Labor Relations Institute (May 2021)
• “Update on COVID-19 Employment Issues, Including the Families First Coronavirus Response Act,” Summit Law Group Webinar (March 2020)
• “Managing the Impact of COVID-19 on Your Agency: Impacts to Employees,” MRSC Webinar (March 2020)
• “Negotiating with Unions in the Public Sector,” AWC Labor Relations Institute (May 2021, May 2019, May 2018 and May 2017)
• “Responding to Preliminary Rulings,” WAPELRA Fall Conference (March 2018)
• "Advising Unions and Employers on Washington's Sick Leave Law," Washington State Bar Association (WSBA) Labor & Employment Section Mini-CLE (February 2018)
• "The Public Records Act, Personnel and Bargaining Records," AWC Labor Relations Institute (May 2017)
• "Washington State Family Medical Leave Law and Mandated Paid Sick Leave," WAPELRA (October 2017)
• "HR/Personnel/Collective Bargaining Records and the PRA," Washington Association of Public Records Officers (WAPRO) Fall Conference Panel (October 2017)
• "The Do's and Don'ts of Conducting Performance Evaluations," WAPELRA (November 2016)
• "Are Your Fitness for Duty Practices Fit for Duty?," National Public Employer Labor Relations Association (NPELRA) Webinar (October 2016)
• "Help Wanted: Recruiting and Hiring Employees," AWC Labor Relations Institute (May 2016)
• "Consult a Labor Lawyer," Labor and Employment Relations Association (LERA) 39th Annual Collective Bargaining & Arbitration Conference (March 2016)
• “Social Media/Texting,” WAPRO Fall Conference (October 2015)
• “Defending Your Camp: Countering Union Negotiating Tactics,” WAPELRA Fall Conference (September 2015)
• "Recruitment and Selection in the Changing World," AWC Labor Relations Institute (May 2015)
• "FLSA Refresher - Overview of Troublesome Overtime Issues for Public Employers," AWC Labor Relations Institute (May 2014)
• "Interest Arbitration from A to Z," AWC Labor Relations Institute (May 2014)
• "Every Move You Make: Security Cameras at the Workplace," Labor and Employment Relations Association (LERA) (April 2014)
• "Role of Arbitration in Union/Management Relations and Responding to Grievances Before Arbitration," NPELRA Labor Relations Academy II (September 2013)
• "Duty to Bargain and the Scope of Bargaining," NPELRA Labor Relations Academy I (September 2013)
• "Fitness-for-Duty: Walking the Medical-Legal Tightrope," AWC Labor Relations Institute (May 2013)
• "Personnel Records: Hot Issues and Practical Solutions," WAPRO Spring Conference (April 2013)
• "Clear Contract Language," Panelist, WAPELRA Spring Conference (March 2013)
• "Employee Information and Public Records Disclosure Obligations," AWC Labor Relations Institute (April 2012)
• "Public Records Requests and Personnel Records," Panelist, WAPRO Spring Training (April 2012)
• "Are your Fitness for Duty Practices Fit for Duty?," WAPELRA Fall Conference (September 2011)
• "Current Challenges in Local Government Law: Human Resources Issues," National Business Institute (November 2010)
• "Personnel Records," Panelist, WAPRO Fall Training (October 2010)
• "Legal Ramifications of the Social Media Explosion: An Employer's Guide," AWC Labor Relations Institute (April 2010)
• "Curbing Absenteeism: Using Recent Change to the FMLA to the Employer's Advantage," Washington State Transit Insurance Pool (WSTIP) webinar (December 2009)
• "FLSA Hot Topics: Donning and Doffing, Furloughs, Take Home Vehicles & Training," WAPELRA Fall Conference (September 2009)
• "Perceptions of Women in the Legal Profession," Panelist, MAMA Seattle Brown Bag Luncheon (May 2009)