Kirsten A. Brown is a Partner in the Los Angeles office of Manning Kass. She is a member of the Trust and Estates team.
Ms. Brown is a Certified Specialist in Estate Planning, Trust & Probate Law with The State Bar of California. She has worked at Manning & Kass since 2018, where the majority of her practice is focused on Trust and Estate litigation. She also handles Trust and Probate administration, estate plan drafting, and generational tax planning. She has experience with litigation involving insurance fraud, personal injury, products liability, business transfer and buy-out disputes, quiet title actions, and breach of contract litigation cases. She has taken the lead in and assisted with several victorious trials.
Ms. Brown acquired her Juris Doctor from Southwestern Law School, during which she was a recipient of numerous accolades, including the Dean's Merit Award, a Public Interest Grant, and the notable Wiley W. Manuel Certificate for her pro bono work. She was a Lead Article Editor for the Southwestern Journal of International Law. Moreover, in her culminating year at Southwestern, she was selected for a prestigious appellate practicum centered on an immigration appeal before the Ninth Circuit. Her commitment to legal aid was further evidenced through her involvement in multiple Southwestern clinics, notably the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) and the Immigration Law Clinic.
Ms. Brown is a member of the California State Bar and the United States District Court for the Central District of California. Her publications include "Anti-Dumping Duties: Brazil's Solution to its Cotton Subsidy Dispute with the United States," and she also co-authored the article "Sporting Events as Sites of International Law, Society, and Governance: The 2014 Brazil World Cup: Forward" for the Southwestern Journal of International Law.
Ms. Brown also attended the University of California, Merced. Ms. Brown possesses both a Bachelor's degree in Economics and a Bachelor of Science in Management. Her academic achievements have been acknowledged through her placement on the Chancellor's List and her induction into the Order of Omega Honor Society. During her law school studies, in pursuit of practical knowledge, Ms. Brown served as a judicial extern to the Honorable Consuelo B. Marshall, United States District Court. Additionally, she externed for the Department of Justice's Tax Division, drafting intricate motions in both bankruptcy and tax court.
Prior to her position at Manning Kass, Ms. Brown excelled as a tax attorney in a niche tax resolution establishment located in Burbank, California. There, she adeptly managed an extensive array of over 300 tax-related cases, spanning from audits to intricate matters such as innocent spouse cases and substantial back tax debts. Notably, she proficiently handled high-stake cases involving taxpayers with debts exceeding one million dollars and potential criminal liability.
Education
- Southwestern Law School, Juris Doctor
- Lead Article Editor for the Southwestern Journal of International Law
- Recipient, Dean's Merit Award
- Recipient, Wiley W. Manuel Certificate for pro bono work
- University of California, Merced, Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Bachelor of Science in Management
- Chancellor's List for outstanding academic achievement
- Member, Order of Omega Honor Society