Jessica Sofio

Attorney Jessica Sofio’s steadfast determination is what makes her a unique asset to the O’Connor Family Law team. Jessica fiercely advocates for her clients and excels at formulating creative solutions to make otherwise-rough negotiations run smoothly and save clients from the burden of expensive and lengthy litigation. Her passion for bettering the lives of families has always been her main motivator and is the reason that her career highlights include hard-won achievements such as removing false restraining orders, reinstating custody following DCF discretion abuse, and obtaining global agreement settling a partition and estate matter to allow the familial home to stay within the family.

Prior to her legal career, Jessica's passion for education led her to teach in special needs inclusion classrooms for both second and third grades. Her hands-on experience in education enriched her understanding of the challenges families face, particularly those navigating Individual Education Programs ("IEPs") and 504 plans. Recognizing the need for effective advocacy beyond the classroom, Jessica made the transition to law, driven by a commitment to be a powerful advocate for her clients. It is this background in teaching that gives her a soft spot for children of divorce and drives her to fight for the best interests of children in legal proceedings.

Education and Expertise

Career Highlights:

• Worked cooperatively with mother and child’s counsel to return child to custody of her client, child’s grandmother, after four non-kinship placements. Then followed through to obtain permanent guardianship with agreement of mother who could not care for child due to illness/disability.
• Removed false restraining order and obtained order for shared custody and child support payments below guidelines for male client in a 209c matter where children’s mother made misrepresentations to the court when filling for full custody, child support and an unjustified abuse prevention order.
• Successfully prepared and argued a Motion to Suppress for a client charged with OUI case, obtaining an order suppressing the traffic stop resulting in complete dismissal of matter.
• Obtained dismissal in multiple criminal cases due to lack of evidence either through negotiating a nolle prosequi with the Commonwealth or successfully arguing Motions to Dismiss/Motions to Reconsider.
• Successfully negotiated pre-arraignment diversion and supported clients to meet criteria for dismissal for both juvenile delinquency clients and with the Veteran criminal diversion program via BRAVE Act.
• Proactively filed motions to dismiss for failure to plead sufficient facts in multiple probate/equity cases which were either allowed by court or settled as a result of the opposing party rescinding their claim.
• Obtained a complicated global agreement settling a partition court case and estate matter where client was able to buy out her siblings’ interest in a home she had occupied with her two small children that had been part of her mother’s estate. This agreement was reached shortly after Attorney Sofio had been retained but after the case had been ongoing for years, with the client facing multiple contempts and an order to vacate the home.
• Prepared briefs and presented arguments before a full panel of Massachusetts Appeals Court justices on two occasions, one of which resulted in a redefinition of case precedent pertaining to waste and equitable division of remainder interests in real property.

Attorney Sofio graduated Magna Cum Laude with high thesis honors from Tufts

University, where she studied Anthropology and American Studies. She went on

to obtain a Masters in Elementary Education as part of Boston College’s Donovan Urban

Teaching Scholars Program and in 2013, she accepted a teaching position in the Boston Public Schools where she taught in second and third grade special needs inclusion classrooms.

In addition to instructing in all curricular areas, Attorney Sofio was involved in creating a school-wide positive behavioral incentive program and pursued additional training in special education and trauma support. It is in this position that she worked closely with families of students with Individual Education Programs (“IEPs”) and 504 plans, and was able to recognize the importance of educational advocacy while bringing such efforts to fruition. Attorney Sofio yearned for new ways to help families and this desire brought her to law school where she was able to turn her passion for advocacy into new manners of action.

Attorney Sofio obtained her J.D. from Suffolk Law School in the accelerated program.

In law school Attorney Sofio excelled in torts, receiving the Jurisprudence Award for highest grade in the section and served as teaching assistant for the course the next year. In her final year of law school, she worked as a 303 certified student attorney in the Suffolk Law Juvenile Defenders Clinic, where she represented clients throughout the various stages of juvenile proceedings at Boston Juvenile Court.

Jessica Sofio's commitment to her clients is unwavering, and she is ready to leverage her experience and expertise to navigate the complexities of Family Law. She serves her clients from our firm's Hanover office in Plymouth County, extending her reach to Worcester County, Bristol County, Middlesex County, Suffolk County, Norfolk County, Essex County, and Barnstable County.