About KyLee
KyLee Manthei earned her J.D. from the University of South Dakota School of Law in 2015. She built her early legal training in the Midwest and has practiced across state lines since entering the profession.
Manthei’s career shows a mix of nonprofit and private-practice work. In 2021 she worked at Southern Minnesota Regional Legal Services, a role that placed her in direct contact with low-income clients and community-based legal problems. In 2023 she held positions at Dakota Plains Legal Services and at Olson Law Office, PLLC, moving between public-interest work and a small private firm setting.
She is admitted to practice in Minnesota and South Dakota and has been a member of the Minnesota State Bar since 2017. Records also show a professional membership beginning in 2021 that she continues to hold. Those memberships sit alongside hands-on practice in regional legal organizations and a local law office.
Those varied posts have given Manthei practical experience in client intake, case development and courtroom and administrative proceedings typical of both legal services programs and private practice. Colleagues describe her as steady in the courtroom and pragmatic at the negotiating table. She has handled matters that require careful case management and the kind of client contact common in community-oriented practices.
Her work in nonprofit legal services exposed her to high-volume caseloads and the limitations that come with resource-constrained representation. At the same time, time at Olson Law Office, PLLC brought direct experience with the billing, file-management and procedural demands of private practice. That combination has shaped a practice style that balances client advocacy with case triage and practical problem solving.
Outside of casework, Manthei’s professional timeline suggests an interest in staying connected to regional legal networks. She maintains active membership in state bar structures and local professional circles, which helps her remain current on procedural developments in both Minnesota and South Dakota.
She lives and practices in the region where she trained, and her practice spans both Minnesota and South Dakota. She currently practices in Minnesota and South Dakota.
