Kristen L. Erney - Santa Ana, CA

Kristen is a senior associate at Hart Kienle Pentecost where she focuses her practice on complex litigation involving trusts and estates, real estate, and business disputes. A significant portion of Kristen’s practice is devoted to trust and estate litigation, where she routinely represents trustees, beneficiaries, heirs, executors and conservators in trust and estate disputes. She has successfully handed disputes involving the validity of trusts and wills, allegations of undue influence, lack of capacity, fraud and financial elder abuse. She regularly handles cases involving contested trust amendments, misappropriation of trust assets, and breaches of fiduciary duty.

Kristen also maintains a practice litigating complex cases in the areas of business and construction litigation, including partnership conflicts, trade secrets, defamation, and property title issues. She has represented property owners, general contractors, and subcontractors in disputes involving construction defects, delay claims, mechanic’s liens, breach of contract, and payment disputes. Her understanding of construction timelines, contractual relationships, and technical issues allows her to advocate effectively for clients in both residential and commercial construction matters.

Prior to joining Hart Kienle Pentecost, she specialized in the defense of developers and general contractors in complex residential, commercial and mixed-use development disputes. She has experience representing clients at all stages of claims, from successfully resolving claims pre-litigation through trial. She graduated from the University of Southern California with Bachelor of Arts degrees in Political Science and Religious Studies and was a member of the Theta Alpha Kappa national honor society. In 2012, she earned her Juris Doctorate from Pepperdine University School of Law where she was a Dean's Merit Scholar.