Manning Kass Promotes Kristine Rizzo to Managing Attorney of Phoenix Office

Los Angeles, Calif., and Phoenix, Ariz., January 5, 2022 – Top-tier full-service national law firm Manning Kass today announced the promotion of Kristine Rizzo to Managing Attorney of its Phoenix, AZ. office. The appointment reflects Manning Kass’ commitment to a people-first talent strategy and also demonstrates how the firm has embedded diversity, equality, and inclusion (DEI) as part of its identity and culture.

Rizzo joined the firm in 2021 as senior counsel for Business Litigation and Insurance Coverage/Bad Faith. In addition to her existing responsibilities, Rizzo will oversee the day-to-day operations of the office and lead development initiatives to attract, retain, and develop top legal talent to support the firm’s growing opportunities in insurance defense and government entity liability. As a mother of two young children, she has had to make difficult decisions between work and personal priorities in her career. The firm’s flexible working and family-friendly policies have allowed her to successfully achieve an effective work-life balance. Rizzo joins a growing list of women in senior management and leadership positions at Manning Kass. 

“Kristine is a leader who embodies Manning Kass’ corporate values and enterprising spirit. Beyond her proven management capabilities, she is passionate about creating a stimulating, open-minded and collaborative work environment, which is central to our DNA,” said Steven D. Manning, Founding Managing Partner, Manning Kass. “We’ve seen tremendous growth opportunities in both the Phoenix office and the across the network and are thrilled to welcome Kristine to the senior leadership team.” 

According to Rizzo, “People will thrive at work when they are also allowed to be successful in their personal lives. It’s often challenging to achieve the ideal work-life balance because this is different for everyone, and it’s different at various life stages. We’re setting a new industry standard for a flexible and collaborative team environment so employees can advance their career goals without significantly compromising their personal passions.” 

A key factor of Manning Kass’ success stems from the firm’s ability to leverage diversity – in experiences, capabilities, insights, and personal style – and respect for the individual to achieve business results for clients. Its “best team” approach to client service, a pioneering concept in the legal industry, enables clients to benefit from a high-touch experience and professional counsel based on the best resources across the network for the task. For example, the firm recently won a three-year contract with the City of Tempe to provide counsel in a number of areas, such as commercial litigation and appellate work, human resources, collections, and construction. 

Brandee Strothers, Legal Counsel at Lime said, “We often look for partners that understand and reflect our corporate values. The team at Manning Kass is like an extension of our organization. They have been flexible and responsive to our evolving needs and have helped us anticipate and address emerging issues.”

About Manning Kass
Founded in 1994 with 16 attorneys, Manning Kass has grown into is a top-tier full-service national law firm. Today, Manning Kass is home to more than 150 attorneys and 37 practice areas, with a strong reputation in corporate transactions, complex litigation, police civil rights defense and mass torts defense. The firm is recognized for decades of groundbreaking accomplishments, respect, and a culture of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. For the second straight year, Law360’s Diversity 2022 Snapshot ranked Manning Kass in the top ten for diversity in their class, with 24% of our equity partners identifying as minorities, and also ranked it as the Best Firm for Women. This far outpaces the average percentage of minority equity partners, which remains under 10%. Additionally, Lawyers of Color's annual publication Black Student's Guide to Law Schools & Firms placed Manning Kass in the "Excelling" category, the highest in the study, for its diversity numbers and policies. Manning Kass’ award-winning team continues to develop influential precedents and help shape the nation’s legal landscape. For more information, visit www.manningkass.com.