Categories
Kirsten M. Fish
About
Kirsten M. Fish joined Needham Kepner & Fish LLP in 2002 and became a partner in 2007. She focuses her practice on personal injury, wrongful death and elder abuse litigation.
Kirsten is the co-author of “Litigating Financial Abuse Actions Against Institutions, Agents and Fiduciaries” in CEB’s California Elder Law Litigation: An Advocate’s Guide. She is a frequent guest lecturer, presenting the annual “What’s New in Tort & Trial” seminar in Northern California since 2010 and speaking on numerous topics relating to elder abuse litigation. Kirsten also taught Legal Research and Writing to first year law students at Lincoln Law School in San Jose for 14 years.
Awards
- 2023 Robert E. Cartwright, Sr. Award, given by CAOC “in recognition of excellence in trial advocacy and dedication to teaching trial advocacy to fellow lawyers and to the public”
- 2023 CAOC Presidential Award of Merit
- Outstanding Achievement in the Pursuit of Justice, Santa Clara County Trial Lawyers Association, 2022
- Consumer Attorneys of California’s 2019 Street Fighter of the Year (Nominee)
- Consumer Attorneys of California’s 2014 Street Fighter of the Year (Winner)
- Lincoln Law School of San Jose’s 2015, 2018 and 2019 Professor of the Year
- 2015 Top Women Attorneys in Northern California San Francisco Magazine (December 2015)
- 2015 Northern California Rising Stars – Northern California Super Lawyers Magazine (August 2015)
- Santa Clara County Trial Lawyers Association’s 2014 Trial Lawyer of the Year
In the News
- How to protect a loved one from abuse or sexual assault in a nursing home
- Sick, Dying and Raped In America’s Nursing Homes
Let a Respected Legal Team Fight for You
When you retain Needham Kepner & Fish LLP, you get the support of an experienced legal team. To schedule a free consultation, contact us today at (408) 716-1668 or online. We handle injury cases on a contingent fee basis, which means that you pay us nothing unless you recover compensation.
Education
- J.D., Summa Cum Laude, Santa Clara University School of Law
- B.S., Chemistry, with honors, University of California, Davis
Memberships
- Santa Clara County Trial Lawyers Association
- Consumer Attorneys of California
- Santa Clara County Bar Association
- American Bar Association
- American Association for Justice
Professional Affiliations
- Santa Clara County Trial Lawyers Association, Board of Governors (2010 – present)
- Santa Clara County Trial Lawyers Association, President (2012, 2013)
- Consumer Attorneys of California, Board of Governors (2014 – present)
- Consumer Attorneys of California, Women’s Caucus (2012 – present)
- Consumer Attorneys of California, Local Trial Lawyers Association Presidents Council (2012, 2013)
- Lincoln Law School of San Jose, Faculty, Legal Research and Writing (2009 – 2022)
- Lincoln Law School of San Jose, Faculty, Torts (2014 – 2015)
Admissions
- California, 2001
- U.S. District Court, Northern District of California, 2002
- U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, 2000 (agent), 2002 (attorney)
- U.S. District Court, Central District of California, 2023
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, 2009
Notable Work
- Elder Financial Abuse: What Financial Institutions Can Do To Prevent It – Senior Advocacy Services’ Elder Justice Summit (September 20, 2023)
- Elder Abuse in a Family Law Context: What Every Family Law Lawyer Should Know About Elder Abuse (and Vice Versa) – Alameda-Contra Costa Bar Association (August 24, 2023)
- Financial Elder Abuse: Emerging Issues and New Approaches to Help Elders Facing Exploitation – Practicing Law Institute (June 27, 2023)
- The Nuts and Bolts of Financial Elder Abuse Litigation – San Francisco Trial Lawyers Association (June 16, 2023)
- Holding Financial Institutions Accountable for Financial Elder Abuse – 27th Annual Professional Fiduciary Association of California Educational Conference (May 5, 2022)
- Elder Financial Abuse Litigation: A Panel of Experts – 25th Annual California Advocates for Nursing Home Reform Elder Law Conference (April 29, 2022)
- The Nuts and Bolts of Financial Elder Abuse Litigation – San Francisco Trial Lawyer Association Seminar (March 18, 2022)
- Making Dollars and Sense of Financial Elder Abuse Cases – The Donald L. Galine Sonoma Travel Seminar (March 11, 2022)
- Elder Financial Abuse Litigation: A Panel of Experts – California Advocates for Nursing Home Reform Webinar (November 17, 2021)
- What’s New in Tort & Trial Annual Seminars – Northern California (2010 – present)
- CEB’s Civil Litigation Practice: Annual Recent Developments – Northern California (2010 – 2016)
- Litigating Long Term Care Sexual Assault Cases – The Donald L. Galine Sonoma Travel Seminar (April 9, 2019)
- Investigating, Trying And Winning Elder Abuse Cases – The Donald L. Galine Sonoma Travel Seminar (April 2, 2016)
- Litigating Long-Term Care Sexual Assault Cases – 19th Annual California Advocates for Nursing Home Reform Elder Law Conference (November 21, 2015)
- Elder Abuse: Fighting Arbitration Clauses And Shaping The Ones You Lose – 54th Annual CAOC Convention (November 7, 2015)
- Elder Abuse and Neglect: What General Practitioners Need to Know – Santa Clara County Bar Association (September 21, 2015)
- Rape and Molestation in Long Term Care Facilities: It’s Happening More Than You Think – 10thAnnual Legal Assistance For Seniors Conference on Elder Abuse (May 19, 2015)
- Emerging Trends in Nursing Home Cases: Client Screening, Pleadings, Discovery and Law and Motion – 53rd Annual CAOC Convention (November 15, 2014)
- §998 Offers – Avoiding Potential Traps and Pitfalls – SCCTLA’s 2014 Belli Seminar (October 10, 2014).
- Emerging Trends in Nursing Home Cases: Client Screening, Discovery and Law and Motion – 52nd Annual CAOC Convention (November 16, 2013).
- CAOC Law School Panel Discussion – Santa Clara University School of Law (September 12, 2013)
- Trending Topics in Elder Abuse Litigation – Santa Clara County Trial Lawyers Association (November 1, 2012)
- Financial Elder Abuse Roundtable – San Francisco Trial Lawyers Association (May 24, 2011)
- Trial Techniques – Santa Clara University School of Law (September 24, 2009)
- The Nuts and Bolts of Elder Abuse Litigation – Sunnyvale-Cupertino Bar Association (April 14, 2008)
- Demonstrative Evidence – Santa Clara University School of Law (March 1, 2007)
- The Nuts and Bolts of Elder Abuse Litigation – Monterey County Bar Association (March 9, 2006)
Published Works
- “The senior swindlers: Identifying financial elder abuse scams and holding financial institutions liable,” Forum Magazine, May/June 2022.
- “Sexual abuse in long term care facilities – It’s happening more than you think,” Forum Magazine, May/June 2019.
- “Litigating Financial Abuse Actions Against Institutions, Agents and Fiduciaries,” Chapter 6A, California Elder Law Litigation: An Advocate’s Guide (Co-Author with Kathryn Stebner), Continuing Education of the Bar (Eds. 2008 – present)
- “The Deceptive Complexity of Elder Law Litigation,” Inside the Minds (Co-Author with Kathryn Stebner), Thomson Reuters/Aspatore, 2012.
- “The CACI Instruction on ‘Recklessness’ vs. The CACI Instruction on ‘Malice’ in Elder Abuse Cases – Are They Actually One in the Same?,” Legal Network News, Spring 2006, Vol. 17, No. 1.
Notable Cases