Prior to joining Van Dermyden Makus, Kristin served as an Associate at Best Best & Krieger LLP, where she advised and represented both public and private entities across a wide range of employment and labor matters. In this role, she provided objective, strategic guidance to employers on compliance with state and federal employment laws, including those governing discrimination, harassment, wage and hour disputes, medical leave, disability accommodation, and workplace safety. She also advised clients through collective bargaining, grievances, arbitrations, and other labor relations processes, ensuring fair and legally sound outcomes.

Kristin has conducted and assisted with numerous impartial workplace investigations. Her work has encompassed allegations involving harassment, discrimination, retaliation, bullying or abusive conduct, workplace misconduct, performance concerns, violations of workplace policies and safety standards, and complex matters within higher education institutions, including Title IX complaints. Kristin is known for her ability to approach sensitive issues with neutrality, discretion, and respect for all parties involved.

In addition, Kristin advised public entities on compliance with the Public Safety Officers’ and Firefighters’ Procedural Bill of Rights Acts and Cal/OSHA proceedings. She has successfully defended educational institutions in Equal Employment Opportunity Commission matters, demonstrating her ability to assess facts objectively and craft balanced, evidence-based responses.

As a law student, Kristin externed for the Federal Court of International Trade in New York City, where she drafted objective legal memoranda and court opinions addressing Ninth Circuit cases, federal court procedures, and appellate litigation. She also served as a Clinical Law Student in the Rutgers Law School’s Education and Health Law Clinic, providing advocacy and support in education rights and special education cases. While studying abroad at Oxford University during law school, she focused on constitutional law and civil rights, further refining her commitment to fairness, due process, and equity in the legal system.

Before attending law school, Kristin worked as a paralegal at a family law firm, where she developed strong interpersonal and conflict-resolution skills essential to objective fact-finding through working on a wide array of cases involving dissolution, child custody, domestic violence, and spousal support. This experience honed her ability to navigate sensitive, emotionally charged situations with empathy, impartiality, and professionalism.

CA State Bar No. 354874