Kristen G. Niven

Kristen G. Niven is an associate in the Litigation Group at Frankfurt Kurnit. She is recognized by Best Lawyers in America in the 2024-2025 “Ones to Watch” edition for Commercial Litigation.

Ms. Niven advises emerging and established companies and law firms as well as individual clients in a wide variety of matters, including commercial litigation, intellectual property disputes, and legal ethics and professional responsibility issues. She has successfully handled matters in a wide range of industries, including technology, law, hospitality, real estate, and retail. Ms. Niven is an experienced appellate advocate and has handled and argued appeals successfully before state and federal courts. 

Ms. Niven is committed to providing pro bono representation and has represented clients in administrative appeals and immigration matters.

Prior to joining Frankfurt Kurnit, Ms. Niven was a litigation associate at Akerman LLP and an associate in the professional liability and legal ethics group at Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP. She is admitted to practice in New York, the United States District Courts for the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York, and the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.

awards & recognition

Best Lawyers in America "Ones to Watch" for Commercial Litigation (2024-2025)

education

Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law (J.D., magna cum laude, Order of the Coif, 2015)

   -Acquisitions Editor, Cardozo Arts and Entertainment Law Journal

   -Monrad G. Paulsen Moot Court Competition, First Place Oralist, 2014

   -New York Intellectual Property Law Association Hon. William C. Conner Writing Competition, First Place, 2014

   -Pro Bono Scholar

University of Chicago (B.A., 2009)

Upcoming Speaking Engagements

Past Speaking Engagements

Ethically Building Your Brand | What Lawyers Need to Know

Kristen G. Niven is a panelist for the session, "Ethically Building Your Brand | What Lawyers Need to Know" during the New York State Bar Association's Women on the Move: Building Your Brand 2024 webinar.

October 15 2024

VGBA Summit 2024

Frances Jensen moderates the panel, “Performance Licensing 101” and Kristen G. Niven is a panelist during the session, "Ethics & AI: Dawn of the RoboLawyers?" at the Video Game Bar Association Summit at Loyola Law School. Details here.

June 3 2024

Social Media’s Impact on Ethics in the Practice of Law

Kristen G. Niven and Chessie da Parma present, "Social Media's Impact on Ethics in the Practice of Law" during a webinar hosted by myLawCLE. Details here.

March 29 2024

Women on the Move 2023: Navigating the Path to Your Success

Kristen Niven is a panelist during the session, “Ethical Success: Navigating Change with Integrity” at the New York State Bar Association’s Women on the Move 2023 webinar. Details here.

October 18 2023

Frankfurt Kurnit’s 2023 Litigation Ethics Summit

Join us in person at our New York City office for our Litigation Ethics Summit -- a complimentary CLE event on current hot topics in ethics and professional responsibility. Read more.

May 11 2023

news & press

X Can’t Escape Unjust Firing Claim in Severance Suit

Law360 mentions Wendy Stryker and Kristen G. Niven as counsel to former Twitter executives who filed a lawsuit against the company and Elon Musk for unjust firing, owing them millions in severance benefits. In the case Personette et al. v. Musk et al., a federal judge denied X (formerly known as Twitter) its motion to dismiss the claim citing an order she issued that same day against X, in a similar matter also alleging unpaid severance pay. View Article. (Behind paywall)

Backers of Meta, Authors Clash Over Fair Use in AI Training

Law360 mentions Jacqueline C. Charlesworth, Ruby A. Strassman and Kristen G. Niven as counsel to the Association of American Publishers, which filed an amicus brief in the lawsuit Kadrey, et al. v. Meta Platforms, Inc. Tech companies argue AI's transformative technology protects its use of copyrighted material under fair use. Authors argue that generative AI exists because it relies on human expression and creativity, which should be compensated. The article quotes the Association of American Publishers brief in support of the plaintiffs stating: “Defendant Meta Platforms Inc., a company valued at over a trillion dollars, asks this court to declare that it is free to appropriate and commercially exploit the content of copyrighted works on a massive scale without permission or payment for that content, a ruling that would have catastrophic consequences for authors and publishers of books, journals and other textual works protected by copyright.” Read the full article here. (Behind paywall.)

Law360’s Legal Lions Of The Week

Law360 mentions Tyler Maulsby, Tricia Legittino, Kristen Niven and John Harris as "Legal Lions" for their successful representation of former Gibson Dunn & Crutcher partner Mark A. Perry. A California judge ruled that the firm must pay the well-known appellate attorney $141,000 in legal fees after losing their legal battle over his move to Weil Gotshal & Manges. Gibson Dunn already who owes approximately $585,000 to Mr. Perry, as the judge also affirmed an arbitrator's decision that he did not resign but retired, and was entitled to his retirement benefits. (Behind paywall) View Article

Gibson Dunn Loses Fee Fight with Ex-Partner

Law360 mentions Tyler Maulsby, Tricia L. Legittino, Kristen Niven, and John B. Harris as counsel to ex-Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher partner Mark A. Perry, in winning a legal battle over his leaving the firm to join Weil Gotshal & Manges as its appellate practice co-chair. In the battle over benefits, Gibson Dunn must pay $141,000 in legal fees in addition to the approximately $585,000 award including interest. (Behind paywall) View Article

X Corp. Shorted 3 Execs Millions In Severance, Suit Says

Law360 mentions Wendy Stryker and Kristen G. Niven as counsel to Sarah Personette, James Sullivan and Dalana Brand, who claim that Elon Musk prevented them from collecting millions in severance benefits following his takeover of X by falsely claiming they were fired for failing to cooperate in investigations. (Behind paywall) View Article

The Best Lawyers in America 2025

Best Lawyers in America recognizes 48 Frankfurt Kurnit attorneys in the 2025 edition. Read more.

Ex-Gibson Dunn Partner Wins Over $557K In Retirement Fight

Law360 mentions Tyler Maulsby, John B. Harris, Tricia L. Legittino, and Kristen G. Niven as counsel to former Gibson Dunn & Crutcher partner Mark Perry, was awarded $557,371 plus retirement benefits from his former employer after leaving in 2022 to join Weil Gotshal & Manges. View Article

The Best Lawyers in America 2024

Best Lawyers in America recognizes 44 Frankfurt Kurnit attorneys in the 2024 edition. Read more.

Shake Shack Rebukes Counterclaim In Font ‘Shakedown’

Law360 mentions Jeremy S. Goldman and Kristin Niven as counsel to Shake Shack, who filed a suit contending they never entered into an enforceable contract with font foundry, House Industries. View Article

DoNotPay Cases Underscore Hurdles For AI-Fueled Legal Help

Kristen Niven wrote the expert analysis column, “DoNotPay Cases Underscore Hurdles For AI-Fueled Legal Help” published in Law360. (Behind paywall) View Article

AT&T Can’t Block T-Mobile’s ‘Banned’ Senior Discount Ads

Law360 mentions Kristen Niven and Molly Rothschild as counsel to T-Mobile in a suit with AT&T over false advertising claims. (Behind paywall) View Article

Shake Shack Accuses Typeface Co. of Font IP ‘Shakedown’

Law360 mentions Jeremy S. Goldman and Kristen Niven as counsel to Shake Shack. (Behind paywall) View Article

Crypto Sellers Avoid Contempt In Reddit Moderator’s TM Suit

Law360 mentions Kimberly Maynard, Edward Rosenthal, and Kristen Niven as counsel to cryptocurrency sellers Kyle Bongers and Blake Starling. Read more.