Biography

Karen Kimmey approaches business litigation with the perspective of an experienced trial lawyer, particularly in high-stakes matters. When a company’s future is at stake, she knows what matters and what doesn’t in a case, leading to effective and efficient resolution. Clients have praised her for her aggressive courtroom advocacy, coupled with sound judgment and a myopic focus on their business objectives.

With experience representing both large and small businesses, as well as individuals, Karen litigates a wide variety of commercial disputes, with particular emphasis on complex contract, fraud, unfair competition, and negligence claims. She also has significant experience in class actions and products liability matters.

Karen is frequently called upon to take over on matters from other law firms as they approach trial and require courtroom expertise. When it comes time to actually stand up in court and make a case, Karen has an unparalleled level of experience and skill, based on, first of all, many hours spent trying cases – both jury trials and arbitrations – usually as lead counsel.

Due in no small part to her theater and public speaking background, Karen tells a great story, in a fashion that makes complex concepts both clear and compelling. It’s not an exaggeration to say that she’s been presenting arguments for her entire adult life – she was a two-time national champion in persuasive speaking in college forensics and a moot court champion in law school. If advocacy is the heart of trial law, Karen has no equal.

Karen frequently speaks and writes about trial strategy and skills, often addressing the challenges that litigation poses for businesses. She authored the chapter “Opening Statements” in Being Heard: Presentation Skills for Attorneys published by the American Bar Association (2018) and was the editor of the chapter on jury selection in the CEB publication Civil Procedure During Trial (2022).

Karen's skill in business litigation in Northern California has been recognized repeatedly by Super Lawyers. She has been selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America in the area of Commercial Litigation law (2021-2022), and she recently received the prestigious California Lawyer Attorneys of the Year ("CLAY") award for her role as trial counsel in a precedent-setting antitrust class action against Sutter Health. 

Karen serves as general counsel to Farella and as chair of the firm's Business Litigation Group.

Distinctions

  • California Lawyer Attorneys of the Year (CLAY) Award, Daily Journal (2022)
  • Best Lawyers in America in the area of Commercial Litigation (2021-2024)
  • Northern California Super Lawyers in Business Litigation since (2015-2018, 2020-2023)
  • 2018 Award of Merit Recipient, Bar Association of San Francisco

Memberships and Affiliations

  • Board of Directors, Bar Association of San Francisco (2016-2018)
  • Former President, St. Thomas More Society
  • Chair, Food from the Bar Campaign
  • Fellow, Litigation Counsel of America

Firm Highlights

News

Farella Braun + Martel Earns San Francisco Green Business Recertification

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Publication

Insurance Market Crushes Wineries and Wine Country Homeowners

We keep hearing about how difficult it is for winery and vineyard owners to get property insurance these days, both for their homes and their wine businesses in California’s wildfire-prone areas. Those who have...

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News

JPMorgan Chase Accuses TransUnion of Stealing 'Trade Secrets'

Intellectual property practice chair Eugene Mar provided expert commentary to American Banker for the article "JPMorgan Chase Accuses TransUnion of Stealing 'Trade Secrets'." In the article, he said: "By filing this as a trade...

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Publication

Nonprofit Quick Tip: State Filings in North Carolina and South Carolina

Welcome to  EO Radio Show - Your Nonprofit Legal Resource . Episode 75 is the tenth in a series of Quick Tip episodes focusing on the details of state registration of nonprofit corporations. With...

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Publication

Corporate Transparency Act: A Guide on Beneficial Ownership for Nonprofit Executives

The Corporate Transparency Act, enacted as part of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021, represents a significant shift in regulatory requirements for entities across the United States. This act, set to...

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Publication

Corporate Transparency Act: State of the Law and Beneficial Ownership Reporting Requirements

Key Points: Despite ongoing legal challenges, the Corporate Transparency Act (CTA) generally remains in effect and enforceable. Clients should continue to abide by its regulations. Initial reports for entities formed in 2024 are due within...

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Publication

Employment Law Update for Nonprofits With Holly Sutton

Welcome to  EO Radio Show - Your Nonprofit Legal Resource . Charities, foundations, and their founders often request help addressing employment practices and compliance questions. In this episode, host Cynthia Rowland is joined by Holly...

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News

Farella Announces 2024 Leadership Council on Legal Diversity Pathfinders: Taylor Rottjakob and John Ugai

Farella Braun + Martel is proud to announce that senior associates  Taylor E. Rottjakob and John M. Ugai have been named 2024 Leadership Council on Legal Diversity (LCLD) Pathfinders. Pathfinders have been identified as...

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News

North Coast Industry Insiders Weigh In on Why California Cannabis Tax Revenue Slipped in 2023

Jeff Hamilton spoke to Susan Wood with the North Bay Business Journal for the article "North Coast Industry Insiders Weigh In on Why California Cannabis Tax Revenue Slipped in 2023." Read the article with Jeff's...

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News

Scraping Battles: Meta Loses Legal Effort to Halt Harvesting of Personal Profiles

Alex Reese spoke to Matt Fleischer-Black of  Cybersecurity Law Report about the Meta v. Bright Data decision and its impact on U.S. scraping case law. Read the article here (paywall or trial).

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