Practice Areas: Employment Litigation, Employment & Labor, Insurance Coverage; view more
Licensed in California since: 2000
Education: Whittier Law School
Languages Spoken: English, French
Selected to Super Lawyers: 2020 - 2025 Call today:
888-473-0934
Free Consultation Kristy & Kananen
3780 Kilroy Airport WaySuite 200
Long Beach, CA 90806 Visit website
Details
Attorney James Kristy is the founding and lead trial lawyer at Kristy & Kananen in Long Beach, California. With an extensive legal career spanning over two decades, he dedicates his practice to advocating for plaintiffs in various civil litigation matters. He focuses on several critical legal domains, including:
- Employment law: Advocating for employees regarding wrongful termination, discrimination, harassment, retaliation, and disputes involving wage and hour claims, including unpaid overtime
- Insurance bad faith: Representing policyholders who have encountered unreasonable claim denials by insurers
- Construction defect litigation: Assisting homeowners in legal actions related to construction defects
Mr. Kristy brings a wealth of experience from his extensive tenure in corporate financial management within prominent U.S. firms, a career that spanned over two decades following his graduation from the University of California, Los Angeles, where he earned a degree in economics. He then pursued his legal studies at Whittier Law School during the evenings while maintaining his full-time professional responsibilities. His dedication and commitment to legal education culminated in attaining his Juris Doctor in 2000.
While at law school, Mr. Kristy was the editor-in-chief of the Whittier Law Review. He also contributed to the academic community through his publication on the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act, which was featured in the law review. Since entering the legal profession, he has concentrated on civil litigation, advocating tirelessly for plaintiffs. His unique combination of corporate insight and legal skill affords him a strategic advantage in litigating complex cases against large-scale corporations. He is unwavering in his commitment to securing consumer justice, leveraging his comprehensive background to their benefit.
In his professional capacity, alongside his admission to the California Superior Court, Mr. Kristy boasts admission to practice before prestigious judicial bodies, including the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit and the U.S. Supreme Court, cementing his proficiency in the legal arena.
Beyond his legal pursuits, Mr. Kristy is a fervent participant in The State Bar of California and the prestigious Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles (CAALA) Board of Governors. He has also been honored with the CAALA Presidential Awards. Moreover, he takes great pride in arranging and conducting diverse continuing legal education seminars covering various subjects.
Practice areas
Employment Litigation: Plaintiff, Employment & Labor: Employee, Insurance Coverage, Business/Corporate, Class Action/Mass Torts: Plaintiff, Construction Litigation: ConsumerFocus areas
Asbestos, Bad Faith Insurance, Business Formation and Planning, Business Organizations, Class Actions, Construction Defects, Contracts, Employment Discrimination, Employment Law - Employee, Employment Law - Employer, Insurance, Insurance Defense, Labor Law, Limited Liability Companies, Partnership, Retaliation, Sexual Harassment, Sub-chapter S Corporations, Toxic Torts, Unions, Wage & Hour Laws, Whistleblower, Wrongful Termination
- 30% Employment Litigation: Plaintiff
- 20% Employment & Labor: Employee
- 20% Insurance Coverage
- 10% Business/Corporate
- 10% Class Action/Mass Torts: Plaintiff
- 10% Construction Litigation: Consumer
First Admitted: 2000, California
Professional Webpage: https://www.kristylaw.com/attorney/kristy-james-r-esq/
- Member, State Bar of California, continuously since November 21, 2000, 2000
- Member, United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
- U.S. District Court Central District of California
- California, 2000
- Member, Supreme Court of the United States of America, continuously since December 7, 2010, 2010
- Member, Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles continuously since 2003, 2003
- Member, United States District Court, Central District of California
- U.S. Court of Appeals 9th Circuit
- As The Kristy Law Firm, 2022 Confidential Settlement, Employment Discrimination: $135,000., 2022
- As The Kristy Law Firm: 2021 Confidential Settlement, Employment: $300,000. Represented multiple non-exempt employees who had been paid on a “salary” basis but who were due overtime. The case involved multiple wage-and-hour claims for each individual Plaintiff., 2021
- As The Kristy Law Firm: 2020 Confidential Settlement, Construction Defect: $235,000. Represented a husband and wife whose home suffered damage to its foundation as the result of construction defects. With co-counsel Kurt E. Kananen, Esq., 2020
- As The Kristy Law Firm: 2020 Confidential Settlement, Insurance Bad Faith: $325,000. Represented multiple family members whose home was damaged by trees falling from a neighboring property. Plaintiffs alleged that their home’s insurer failed to honor its legal duties under the policy and underpaid their claim. With co-counsel Kurt E. Kananen, Esq., 2020
- As The Kristy Law Firm: 2019 Settlement, Negligence (Damage to Real Property): $125,000, "Olvera, et al. v. Williams, et al.," Los Angeles County Superior Court. Represented Plaintiffs, a husband and wife, in a lawsuit in which a neighbor’s retaining wall collapsed, severely damaging Plaintiffs’ property. With co-counsel Kurt E. Kananen, Esq., 2019
- As The Kristy Law Firm: 2019 Settlement, Negligence: $700,000, Grimsley v. Hanjin Shipping Tec, Inc., et al., Los Angeles County Superior Court. Represented the injured Plaintiff, who was injured when his parked truck was struck by another truck. With co-counsel Calvin C. Schneider III, Esq., 2019
- As The Kristy Law Firm: 2019 Confidential Settlement, Negligence (Damage to Real Property): $180,000. Represented a husband and wife whose custom-built home had defective windows. With co-counsel Kurt E. Kananen, Esq., 2019
- As The Kristy Law Firm: 2018 Confidential Settlement, Insurance Bad Faith: $100,000. Represented a business whose insurer refused to defend and indemnify it under an employment-practices liability insurance (“EPLI”) policy., 2018
- As The Kristy Law Firm: 2018 Confidential Settlement, Employment: $200,000. Represented an executive of a large corporation who was forced to resign under intolerable working conditions. Settled this dispute prior to filing a complaint for constructive discharge, harassment and retaliation, all in violation of the Fair Employment and Housing Act (“FEHA”)., 2018
- As The Kristy Law Firm: 2017 Confidential Settlement, Negligence (Damage to Real Property): $265,000. Represented a husband and wife whose home had been damaged by a contractor attempting to repair and stabilize the home’s foundation. Plaintiffs also recovered against the realtor of the seller of the home for failure to disclose known defects. With co-counsel Kurt E. Kananen, Esq., 2017
- As The Kristy Law Firm: 2017 Confidential Settlement, Employment: $125,000. Represented a female employee who was terminated after suffering an on-the-job injury. The lawsuit alleged wrongful termination in violation of public policy, discrimination, and harassment, all in violation of the Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA)., 2017
- As The Kristy Law Firm: 2014 Confidential Settlement, Insurance Bad Faith: $695,000. Represented the father of a child who was denied mental-health benefits under the father’s health plan. With co-counsel Scott C. Glovsky, Esq., 2014
- As The Kristy Law Firm: 2012 Confidential Settlement, Insurance Bad Faith: $403,000. Represented the mother of a daughter who died overseas after being denied essential medical treatment under a health plan. With co-counsel Scott C. Glovsky., 2012
- As The Kristy Law Firm: 2012 Confidential Settlement, Construction Defect: $155,000. Represented a condominium homeowners association against the builder of all of the condominium for construction defects. With co-counsel Kurt E. Kananen, Esq., 2012
- As The Kristy Law Firm: 2012 Confidential Settlement, Insurance Bad Faith: $200,000. Represented a couple whose home suffered water damage and whose insurer denied benefits under the insurance policy. With co-counsel., 2012
- 2012 Arbitration Award, Wrongful Death / Medical Malpractice: $151,219. Represented the parents of an infant who died while being treated at a Kaiser Permanente hospital, and whose death could have been prevented., 2012
- As The Kristy Law Firm, 2011 Confidential Settlement, Breach of Fiduciary Duty and Negligence: $750,000. A custom, single-family home experienced uneven settlement due to soil movement. The HOA that managed the hillside community failed to inform homeowners about known soil movement. A contractor the owners hired to correct the uneven settlement caused further damage. The Kristy Law Firm recovered from the HOA, the contractor, and the contractor’s soils engineer., 2011
- As The Kristy Law Firm, 2008 Confidential Settlement, Insurance Bad Faith: $3 million. Represented the parents of a daughter who died after being denied essential medical treatment under a health plan. With co-counsel Scott C. Glovsky., 2008
- Olvera, et al. v. Williams, et al., 2019, Los Angeles County Superior Court
- Grimsley v. Hanjin Shipping Tec, Inc., et al., 2019, Los Angeles County Superior Court
- Member Emeritus, Board of Governors, Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles (CAALA)
- Recipient, CAALA Presidential Awards: 2003, 2005, and 2006
- Chair, Education Committee, 2008 and 2009, Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles (CAALA)
- Active Member of the Board of Governors since 2005, Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles (CAALA)
- Mr. Kristy was honored to be sworn in as a member of the Supreme Court of the United States of America, during a session of the Court
- University of California, Los Angeles: Bachelor of Arts, Economics, December 1978
- CAALA 2017 Las Vegas Convention, Ethics panel: “Handling Retainers and Referral Fees Properly.”
- Associate Editor, Advocate, 2003 through 2014
- Author, Advocate November 2014 "Professional Liability" issue: "Subbed out or Subbed In: Issues Relating to Liens for Attorney's Fees."
- Author, Advocate August 2015 “Insurance” issue: ”The Duty to Provide an Adequate Defense."
- Author, Advocate (the monthly law journal of the Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles) September 2017 "Insurance" issue: “Reformation of an Insurance Policy.”
- Chair or Co-Chair of five other individual CAALA seminars during the years of 2004, 2006, 2009, and 2014
- CAALA Las Vegas Annual Convention Co-Chair and seminar moderator: 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2009.
- CAALA 2006 Convention, Insurance Bad Faith panel: "Assignments of Rights and Covenants Not to Execute."
- CAALA 2008 Las Vegas Convention, Insurance Bad Faith panel: "Cumis Counsel: What You Need to Know."
- Panel speaker, California State Bar Annual Meeting, September 26, 2008: "Getting Best Results in Mediation: Competitive versus Cooperative Negotiation."
- CAALA 2011 Las Vegas Convention, Law-and-Motion panel: "Anti-SLAPP."
- CAALA 2012 Las Vegas Convention, Liens panel: "Liens: When and How to Get the Court Involved."
- CAALA 2013 Las Vegas Convention, Insurance Bad Faith panel: "Post-Claims Underwriting: How to Make the Case for Bad Faith."
- CAALA May 21, 2014 seminar, "The Affordable Care Act: What the ACA Mandates."
- CAALA 2014 Las Vegas Convention, Liens panel: "Subbing-in or Subbing-out: Issues Regarding Attorneys' Liens."
- CAALA 2015 Las Vegas Convention, Evidence panel: "Medical Bills and Collateral Sources: Challenges to Admissibility."
- CAALA 2016 Las Vegas Convention, Insurance Bad Faith panel: “Essential Discovery in a Bad Faith Case.”
Office location for James Kristy
3780 Kilroy Airport Way
Suite 200
Long Beach, CA 90806
Phone: 888-473-0934
Selections
- Super Lawyers: 2020 - 2025
