Kristen L. Richer

Partner, Consumer Class Action Defense Co-Chair
Barnes & Thornburg
New York University School of Law
Litigation

Kristen L. Richer is a partner and consumer class action defense co-chair at Barnes & Thornburg who was recently named chair-elect of the firm’s 275-lawyer Litigation Department. She will be the first Los Angeles-based attorney to lead the national practice when she formally assumes the role in November 2026.

Richer’s practice manages high-stakes multidistrict litigations including her current appointment as defense liaison counsel in a national product liability proceeding involving over-the-counter pharmaceuticals. This mastery of regulatory complexity allows her to oversee litigation teams for matters valued at well over one billion dollars in aggregate. She channels her experience as a first-generation attorney into her leadership as the firmwide co-chair of BTWomen to create professional pathways for women at every stage of their career.