Practice Areas
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White Collar Criminal Defense
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Complex Business Litigation
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Securities Litigation
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First Amendment and Trade Secret Litigation
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Employment Litigation
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Products Liability and General Tort Litigation
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Appellate Litigation
Education
Oxford University
Diploma in Law, Criminal Law and Jurisprudence
Berkeley Law
J.D.
Stanford University
B.A. Psychology and Political Theory
Bar Admissions
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State Bar of California
Court Admissions
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All state and federal courts of the State of California
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Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals
Theresa A. Kristovich
Theresa Kristovich is a highly experienced trial lawyer. After clerking for the California Supreme Court and receiving a Diploma in Law at Oxford, Theresa began her career in the United States Attorney’s Office in Los Angeles where she was a member of the Major Crimes Section, handling over 20 jury and court trials as well as numerous arguments in the Ninth Circuit. Since entering private practice, Theresa has represented both corporations and individuals in federal and state prosecutions for tax violations, public corruption, workplace death, bank fraud, wire fraud and environmental crimes. She also has extensively litigated numerous matters involving securities, trade secrets, copyright, patent and employment disputes. Throughout her career, Theresa has been the “go to” trial lawyer, often being brought in shortly before trial, and has been the First Chair in more than 40 federal and state court jury trials and arbitrations that have gone to verdict. Theresa also regularly handles internal investigations for clients in connection with potential criminal charges, employment complaints and OSHA investigations. She also has argued more than 20 civil appeals in state and federal court.
Theresa graduated with a double honors major in Psychology and Political Theory from Stanford University in three years. She was one of 25 undergraduates selected to participate in the Psychology Honors Program and was a teaching assistant to renowned Professor Phil Zimbardo. She then obtained her Juris Doctor degree from Berkeley Law (then Boalt Hall School of Law). During law school, Theresa had externships for both the San Francisco Public Defender’s Office and the Chief Justice of the California Supreme Court. Theresa has taught courses in Civil Procedure at the USC School of Judicial Administration and for The Rutter Group and CEB. She has also been active in bar activities and served as the President of the Los Angeles Chapter of the Association of Business Trial Lawyers and on the Board of the Los Angeles County Bar Association’s Barristers Division.
- Successful defense of a bank following a jury trial in a wrongful termination case where the plaintiff alleged she was discriminated against because of her national origin.
- Successful defense of a golf course following a jury trial in a wrongful termination case where the plaintiff alleged she was the victim of sex discrimination.
- Successful defense of a bank following a jury trial in a wrongful termination case where the plaintiff, a 17-year employee and branch manager, alleged she was the victim of age discrimination.
- Successful defense of Roseanne Barr in a breach of contract case following a jury trial in federal district court in the Central District of California.
- Successful verdict for the Plaintiff in a breach of contract case following a jury trial in federal district court in the Northern District of California.
- Successful verdict for the savings and loan industry which resulted in a recovery in excess of $100 million following a month-long court trial that litigated whether municipalities could impose a business license tax on savings institutions when banks were exempt from such taxation under California law. California Federal Bank v. City of Los Angeles, 11 Cal. 3d 1.
- Non-suit for the defense following a 4-week jury trial in Santa Barbara Superior Court where Plaintiff alleged the defense improperly sold and misrepresented certain securities.
- Successful defense of accounting firms in multiple arbitrations alleging malpractice.
- Successful defense of a manufacturing company and supervisor in a race discrimination case following a jury trial in federal court in the Northern District of California.
- Summary judgment in favor of book publisher and author in a defamation case in Los Angeles Superior Court.
- Summary judgment in favor of a real estate agent in a fraud case in Los Angeles Superior Court.
- Summary judgment in favor of a national brewing company in a case alleging breach of a distributor agreement in federal District Court for the Eastern District of California.
- Summary judgment in favor of a businessman in a defamation case in Los Angeles Superior Court.
- Summary judgment in favor of a laboratory in connection with representation of its products in a fraud case in federal court in the Central District of California.
- Non-suit for the defendant in a personal injury case in Los Angeles Superior Court.
- Favorable resolution of multiple charges against a manufacturing company for manslaughter in connection with a workplace death following an 11-day preliminary hearing.
- Favorable resolution of manslaughter charges against an employee charged with vehicular manslaughter for operating a vehicle at work while intoxicated.
- Favorable resolution of a federal criminal matter for a trucking company charged with environmental crimes.
- U.S. v. Artus, 591 F.2d 526 (9th Cir. 1979)
- U.S. v. Angelini, 607 F.2d 1305 (9th Cir. 1979)
- U.S. v. Rice, 645 F.2d 691 (9th Cir. 1981)
- U.S. v. Saavedra, 684 F.2d 1283 (9th Cir. 1982)
- Harris v. Bloodgood, 132 Cal. App. 3d 477 (1982)
- U.S. v. Spetz, 721 F.2d 1457 (9th Cir. 1983)
- FDIC v. Lugli, 813 F.2d 1030 (9th 1987)
- California Federal Savings & Loan Assn. v. City of Los Angeles, 54 Cal. 3d 1 (1991)
- Resolution Trust Corp. v. Feffer, 795 F. Supp. 1223 (1992)
- People ex rel. Sepulveda v. Highland Federal Savings & Loan, 14 Cal. App. 4th 1692 (1993)
- U.S. v. Nguyen, 997 F. Supp. 1281 (C.D. Cal. 1999)
- Barnes-Wallace v. Boys Scouts of America, 275 F. Supp. 2d 1259 (S.D. Cal. 2003)
- Los Angeles County Bar Association
- Federal Bar Association
- Association of Business Trial Lawyers, Past President
- Adjunct Professor of Constitutional Law – Occidental College
- Adjunct Professor of Civil Procedure – USC School of Judicial Administration
- Presenter/Panelist “Civil Procedure Before Trial,” The Rutter Group
- Presenter/Panelist “Recent Trends in Civil Procedure in California,” CEB