Practice concentrates on federal and state appellate litigation and dispositive motion practice in the trial courts.
Served as a law clerk at every level of the federal judiciary.

A member of Akin’s Supreme Court and appellate practice, Kristen represents clients at all stages of appellate litigation in both federal and state courts. She has authored numerous briefs filed in the federal and state courts of appeal, including in the U.S. Supreme Court, and presented oral argument in multiple federal and state appellate courts. Kristen has particular expertise litigating in the New York appellate courts.

Kristen’s practice spans a wide range of complex litigation and regulatory matters. She provides strategic guidance on constitutional and statutory interpretation questions and maintains an active appellate pro bono practice. She also works closely with trial teams to draft pleadings and dispositive motions.

Previously, Kristen served as a law clerk to the Honorable Sonia Sotomayor of the U.S. Supreme Court, the Honorable Raymond J. Lohier, Jr., of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, and the Honorable Jesse M. Furman of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.

Kristen attended New York University School of Law on a Furman Academic Scholarship, graduated magna cum laude and Order of the Coif, and received the Frank H. Sommer Memorial Award for exceptional distinction in scholarship and professional excellence, the Robert B. McKay Prize in Constitutional Law and the Edmond Cahn Law Review Award for outstanding contributions to the Law Review.

Kristen also holds a Ph.D. from Harvard University, an M.Phil. with distinction from the University of Cambridge and a B.A. from Columbia University.

Representative Work

Successfully briefed and argued appeal in New York’s Appellate Division, First Department, securing unanimous aﬃrmance of the trial court’s summary judgment decision against a novel theory about the nature of equity value.
Successfully briefed and argued appeal in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit, securing unanimous affirmance of the dismissal of a long-running securities action.
Successfully devised a strategy and drafted briefs that convinced New York’s Appellate Division, First Department, to unanimously reverse a trial court’s multimillion-dollar damages determination and vacate its liability holding in a breach-of-contract dispute.
Secured a favorable decision for a national telecommunications company from the Delaware Supreme Court affirming the dismissal of plaintiffs’ multibillion-dollar breach-of-contract claim on the ground that it had to be brought derivatively on behalf of a since-dissolved partnership.

Persuaded the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit to hold that a district court abused its discretion in interpreting its own prior judgment and then reverse that court’s determination that claim preclusion barred a patent infringement suit.
Briefed and argued case before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit on behalf of immigrant justice organizations challenging the constitutionality of a Florida law.
Represented the National Football League in ending a nearly decade-long class action lawsuit by convincing the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit to affirm the district court’s denial of class certification and grant of summary judgment to the League.