Kristin is a compassionate, skilled attorney who sets herself apart by providing her clients with excellent communication, transparency and quick response time. Adept at fighting for her client’s best interests, Kristin has a “work together” attitude to meet their needs and expectations.
From established technology companies, to nursing home organizations, to emerging start-ups, Kristin enjoys working with businesses in a variety of industries. She focuses her varied litigation practice in the following areas:
Healthcare
Having defended healthcare clients in litigation, regulation and employment issues, Kristin counsels her healthcare clients on how they can best protect themselves from the complexities of regulation in the industry. Her long-term care, skilled nursing and assisted living facility, medical device and surgery center clients seek her advice about minimum wage, unionization and other employment issues, medical malpractice claims, and regulatory charges. Kristin’s understanding of her client’s business, combined with her knowledge of the legal and regulatory framework every provider must navigate, enables her to provide clarity in the midst of an ever changing healthcare world.
Employment Rights, Benefits & Labor
All employers must deal with the evolving web of federal and state employment laws. In addition to representing employers in state and federal court, Kristin defends clients in investigations by the EEOC, Department of Labor, and other state and local agencies. Kristin also works with companies on a wide array of employment matters, including hiring and termination, cybersecurity, healthcare, wage and hour, discrimination and harassment, and retaliation. She assists clients in drafting employment agreements, severance packages, employee handbooks, employment policies and developing strategies for avoiding problems resulting in litigation.
Financial Services and Securities Regulatory Enforcement Defense
Kristin represents investors, financial planners, wealth managers and other professionals in the financial services industry with various claims, including class actions, regulatory proceedings and customer claims. She also defends registered investment advisors, investment advisor representatives, investment bankers, broker-dealers and registered representatives in regulatory investigations and disciplinary actions brought by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, FINRA and the State of Washington Department of Financial Institutions (DFI) Securities Division.
Trust and Estate Litigation
Kristin is a trusted advisor to family members, trustees and personal representatives in disputes ranging from Will contests to interpretations of trust provisions. Her experience includes representing charities to ensure appropriate distribution under a Will, challenges to a Trustee’s withholding of information and inaction, challenging a Will because of undue influence and cases alleging breach of fiduciary duty against a trustee and personal representative.
Additional Experience
The remainder of Kristin’s practice includes assisting clients with complex litigation in the following areas:
- Executive and professional employment – helping business professionals and executives negotiate severance packages, negotiate non-compete and employment agreements and stock option agreements.
- Company and corporate liabilities – assisting with director and officer liability, contract and lease disputes, and lawsuits involving product liability, non-compete arrangements, unfair business practices and intellectual property.
Kristin knows a legal issue has potential ramifications and she is adept at seeing around corners to avoid problems in helping decision makers make choices that are in the best interests of all facets of an organization.
Professional & Community Activities
- Member, Ellevate Network
- Member, Washington Technology Industry Association
- Member, LTC Risk Legal Forum
- Member, Washington Healthcare Association
- Member, World Trade Center
- Member, Washington Women Lawyers
- Member, Defense Research Institute
- Beta Gamma Sigma, Business Honor Society
Recent Publications
- Are You Prepared for Revisions to Federal Regulations on Overtime? (June 2015)
- Restrictive Language in Employment Confidentiality Agreements Can Lead to SEC Enforcement Action (April 2015)
- Questions about Seattle’s Minimum Wage Ordinance? Resources to Answer Your Questions and Help Ensure Compliance (March 2015)
- Recent Developments in Minimum Wage Law (February 2015)
Speaking Engagements
- Should I Stay or Should I Go? FMLA and Other Leave and Obligations (2016)
- Patient Protection and ACA: What’s Next?, Ryan Swanson’s Annual Employment Law Update (2013 -2016)
- Health Care Reform Update, Introduction to Health Law Seminar (2013)
- Patient Protection and ACA: Now What? Ryan Swanson’s Annual Employment Law Update (2012)
- Patient Protection and ACA: Where Are We Now? Ryan Swanson’s Annual Employment Law Update (2011)
- Federal Law Update: What You Need to Know, Ryan Swanson’s Annual Employment Law Update (2008-2010)
