Kristen Law Sagafi, Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein partner
Image: courtesy photo
Kristen Law Sagafi, 38, partner
Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein
As a partner at Lieff Cabraser, Sagafi litigates multimillion-dollar product and home-defect class actions, and has achieved settlements of upwards of $300 million for consumers and homeowners in noninjury defective product and consumer protection cases. On top of handling high-profile case work, she has provided pro bono mediation services to litigants in small claims and landlord tenant matters. Sagafi also dedicates her time to women's causes, serving as president of About-Face, a nonprofit that equips girls and young women with tools to resist negative messages about women and body image, and as a board member for California Women Lawyers, where she serves on the membership and annual conference committees.
Word that best describes you?
If I can really only have one word, it's responsible. Close runners-up are honest, committed, resourceful and optimistic.
Most interesting place you've traveled, and why?
The Serengeti. Watching a five-ton bull elephant lead his family to water along a path not 10 feet in front of me was one of the most humbling and exhilarating moments of my life.
Most unusual hobby?
Worm-farming. A couple years ago, I received as a gift all the gear required to support a community of composting worms. Like an ant farm. Regrettably, I don't have a green thumb when it comes to worms.
Favorite quote?
"The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice." — Martin Luther King Jr.
Name a lawyer you admire and why.
My husband and law partner, Jahan Sagafi. He has an abiding commitment to social justice that I admire in all of my colleagues at Lieff Cabraser. Beyond that, he is an extraordinary legal writer and approaches the practice with refreshing creativity and wit.
Best advice you ever got?
Recreation is not optional. As a hard-working and ambitious new lawyer, it took me a few years to realize that all work and no play was a recipe for disaster. Treating recreation as essential, mandatory maintenance for the body and soul has helped me juggle more and do it more happily.
