Kristen E. Drake

Kristen has been practicing law in San Francisco for over twenty years. She enjoys advocating on behalf of Plaintiffs and giving a voice to their experiences while at the same time holding Defendants accountable for their conduct. She has litigated a variety of different types of civil cases including personal injury, products liability, institutional abuse, assault, tenant wrongful eviction, harassment and habitability, and wage and hour cases.

‍
Through her work as a tenant rights attorney, Kristen gained significant experience advocating in imbalance of power situations. She litigates personal injury, products liability, institutional abuse and assault cases.  She also has experience litigating cases from inception through trial, including taking and defending depositions, drafting motions and pleadings, arguing motions and making other court appearances, examining witnesses, researching and writing legal memoranda, and conducting discovery, as well as settling cases through mediations and mandatory settlement conferences. She enjoys advocating on behalf of her clients and prosecuting cases.
‍

Kristen has lived in the City of San Francisco for two decades. When she is not working, Kristen enjoys the breathtaking view of the City, spending time with friends, and doing volunteer and service activities.

Education

• University of California, Hastings College of the Law, San Francisco, Doctor of Jurisprudence, 1999.
• University of California at Davis, Bachelor of Arts — Economics and Political Science, 1996

Professional Affiliations and Recognitions

• 2023 Northern California Super Lawyers®
• American Jurisprudence Awards for Legal Writing and Research, Environmental Law, and
  Criminal Law
• Frequent Speaker on Habitability and Premises Liability in Rental Housing
• Associate Executive Editor on the Hastings Law Journal
• Departmental Citation for outstanding performance in economics, California at Davis‍

Jurisdictions Admitted to Practice

• Admitted to All California State Courts
• United States District Court Northern District of California
• United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit

Areas of Focus

• Personal Injury  
• Products Liability
• Institutional Abuse and Assaults
• Harassment and Habitability Civil Cases
• Tenants’ Rights
• Wage and Hour Cases