Kristin Bender is an associate in the Litigation Department. Her practice centers on high-stakes, commercial disputes on issues including contracts, intellectual property, and defamation. She has worked on four federal trials—twice as trial counsel. Kristin maintains a strong corporate investigations practice and is a member of the Editorial Board for the American Bar Association’s Litigation Journal.
Experience
Kristin was a law clerk for the Hon. Richard C. Wesley on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit and the Hon. Lawrence J. Vilardo on the U.S. District Court for the Western District of New York.
Kristin’s recent experience includes:
- Pro bono counsel in Neiberger, et al. v. Islamic Republic of Iran, earning a near-complete verdict of liability on motion for default judgment under the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act and a judgment of more than $455 million on behalf of U.S. military service members and civilians and their families who were injured or killed in terrorist attacks in Iraq from 2006 to 2009.
- Counsel for plaintiff in Rich v. Butowsky, defamation litigation challenging viral online conspiracy theories, achieving successful settlement and retractions by defendants.
- Trial counsel successfully defending Uber Technologies Inc., achieving complete defense verdict against $750 million in liability in client’s first-ever trial taken to verdict.*
- Trial counsel representing plaintiff SourceOne Dental Inc. in group boycott trial, achieving successful settlement after close of plaintiff’s case.*
- Trial team for Apple Inc. in highly publicized contract and licensing dispute that resulted in successful settlement during trial.*
* Kristin advised on these matters prior to joining Willkie.
Credentials
Education
Duke University School of Law, J.D., LL.M., 2016 Clemson University, B.S.
Bar Admissions
Court Admissions
United States Court of Appeals, 2nd Circuit United States Court of Appeals, 4th Circuit United States Court of Appeals, D.C. Circuit United States District Court, District of Columbia United States District Court, Southern District of New York United States District Court, Eastern District of New York United States District Court, Western District of New York