Carney Badley Spellman, P.S. is a Pacific Northwest law firm located in Seattle, Washington. Our clients will tell you we are known for providing exceptional value in legal services by recognizing case objectives early and obtaining cost-effective results. The Carney firm provides legal services in business, litigation, construction, government affairs and insurance to individuals and to privately-held and publicly-traded companies.
Melvin N. Sorensen, a principal, joined the firm in July 2000 with more than 25 years of experience representing insurers, health care interests, and other regulated industries before the Washington State legislature and various state agencies. Mr. Sorensen's government relations practice emphasizes legislative and regulatory representation, including matters before the Washington State Office of the Insurance Commissioner.
After graduating from the University of Puget Sound School of Law in 1983, Mel served as a staff counsel with the Washington State Senate where he provided non-partisan legal advice to members of the Senate Financial Institutions and Insurance Committee and the Joint Administrative Rules Review Committee. After leaving the Senate, he served as Counsel for Government Affairs with Washington Physicians Service until 1989. Mel has also spent ten years operating his own law practice with an emphasis on government relations and the representation of regulated industries.
Current Clients
- American Council of Life Insurers
- Property Casualty Insurers Association of America
- America's Health Insurance Plans
- Professional Insurance Agents Association
- National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors
- Washington Association of Health Underwriters
- American Family Insurance
- Allstate Insurance Company
- Contractors Bonding and Insurance Company
- Asurion
- Express Scripts, Inc.
- 24 Hour Fitness
- Washington Defense Trial Lawyers
- Northwest Propane Gas Association
Awards
- Washington Defense Trial Lawyers — 2007 President's Award
- Northwest Propane Gas Association — 2005 President's Award
Presentations
- Washington State Insurance Industry Briefing, Presented by Mel Sorensen and Cliff Webster, June 15, 2009, Minneapolis, MN
- Professional Insurance Agents, 2009 Annual Convention, Legislative Update, June 14, 2009, Cle Elum, WA
- Spokane Association of Health Underwriters, Legislative Update, May 18, 2009, Spokane, WA
- National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors, 2009 Annual Convention, Legislative Update, May 6, 2009, Spokane, WA
- National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors, Financial Services Forum, Legislative Update, October 27, 2008, Everett, WA
- National Insurance Industry Convention & Expo '08, Legal Issues in Insurer-Producer Relationships, The Mirage Hotel, August 6, 2008, Las Vegas, NV
- Professional Insurance Agents Association, Washington 2008 Annual Convention, Panelist-Insurance Fair Conduct Act, Legislative Update, June 20-22, 2008, Cle Elum, WA
- Washington State Insurance Industry Briefing, Presented by Mel Sorensen and Cliff Webster, June, 2008, San Francisco, CA
- National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors, Washington 2008 Annual Convention, Legislative Update, May 23, 2008, La Conner, WA
- Washington Defense Trial Lawyers, Annual Insurance Law Update, 2008, Legislative Update, April 4, 2008, Seattle, WA
- Washington Association of Health Underwriters, 2008 Spring Symposium, Legislative Update, March 26, 2008, Seattle, WA
- Mealey's Pacific Northwest Construction Defect Conference, Panelist-Legislative Round-up on Construction Defects, June 22, 2006, Seattle, WA
Associations
Washington State Bar Association
Admissions
Washington state; Federal District Court for Western Washington; Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.
Education
Walla Walla University, BA, English, cum laude, 1980; Seattle University School of Law (formerly University of Puget Sound School of Law), JD, 1983.
