Kristen is an experienced mass tort and product liability litigator who provides state-of-the-art defense strategies to companies facing high profile, high risk matters. She is known for her sophisticated understanding of jury trends and unique ability to craft messages and trial themes that drive home her client's objectives. Whether serving as national coordinating counsel or trying individual matters, she leverages her knowledge of human behavior to guide juries to the right conclusion for her clients. Kristen serves as Co-Chair of the firm's Toxic and Environmental Tort Litigation Team, which Legal 500 recognized in 2020 as one of the top four such practices in the country and Chambers has ranked as a Band 2 Nationwide practice.
Kristen has been ranked in Chambers USA for product liability and mass tort every year since 2016, with clients praising her “œgreat gift for long-term strategy,” and describing her as “œa very skilled trial attorney who is strategic, smart and efficient” and “connects well with judges.” The Legal 500 U.S. hails her as “œan 'outstanding trial lawyer,' who is 'very talented at developing, implementing and organizing national strategy.'”
Kristen currently serves as national coordinating counsel in several matters, including for the Dow Chemical Company's wholly owned subsidiary, Union Carbide, in relation to its substantial asbestos docket; Johnson & Johnson in its high-profile talc docket in which the company faces allegations that its talcum powder products cause fatal cancer; and Janssen Pharmaceuticals in Multi-District Litigation (MDL) arising from allegations that long term use of the prescription drug Elmiron results in vision issues. In each matter, she directs case work up and strategy for thousands of cases each year, ensuring that a uniform approach is applied and her clients maintain a consistent defense and achieve desirable results nationwide. She also routinely negotiates multi-million dollar settlements involving multiple cases and claims.
Outside of her national coordination work, Kristen is a first chair trial lawyer who has tried mass tort cases in some of the most difficult jurisdictions across the country, including New York, NY; Baltimore, MD; Philadelphia, PA and New Orleans, LA;. She has represented clients in a wide variety of toxic tort and product matters over time, including cases alleging exposures to PFAS, TCE/TCA, vinyl chloride and ethylene oxide.