Attorney Kirsten Scott
Partner
kscott@kantorlaw.net
Kirsten Scott is an ERISA attorney and partner in Kantor & Kantor’s San Francisco’s office, representing individuals and groups in a wide range of employee benefits disputes, including pension claims under ERISA, disability retirement claims under the San Francisco Employees’ Retirement System (SFERS), and class action claims involving pension, severance and health benefits.
Among Kirsten’s notable representations, she secured a landmark 2017 decision from the California Court of Appeal in Irvin v. Contra Costa County Employees’ Retirement Association, a significant ruling on public employee retiree benefits under the County Employees Retirement Law. She also represented retirees in Beeson v. Fireman’s Fund Insurance Co., Inc., which resulted in a $36.8 million judgment following a seven-month civil trial.
A recognized thought leader in employee benefits law, Kirsten regularly speaks and publishes on ERISA, pension rights, and disability benefits. She currently serves as Co-Chair of the Employee Benefits Committee of the National Employment Lawyers’ Association (NELA), and previously chaired both the Employee Benefits Committee of the Tort Trial and Insurance Practice Section of the American Bar Association (ABA) and the Solo and Small Firm Section of the Bar Association of San Francisco. Her scholarly contributions have included chapters in Employee Benefits Law (BNA), ERISA Litigation (BNA), and California Wage and Hour: Law and Litigation Practice Guide (CEB).
Since graduating from law school, Kirsten has regularly volunteered as a supervising attorney for the Workers’ Rights Clinic, hosted by Legal Aid at Work.
Prior to joining Kantor & Kantor, Kirsten was a partner at a plaintiff-side employee benefits and employment law firm. Earlier in her career, she served as a judicial extern for the Honorable Charles Breyer of the United States District Court for the Northern District of California, and as a law clerk for the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and Legal Aid at Work.
Beyond the practice, Kirsten serves as Chair of the Board of Directors of Environmental Traveling Companions (ETC), a San Francisco-based nonprofit dedicated to making outdoor adventures, like whitewater rafting and kayaking, accessible to people with disabilities and youth from under-resourced communities.
Education
- University of California at Berkeley School of Law (2007)
- University of Pennsylvania, magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa (1999)
Notable Decisions
- Bafford, et al. v. Admin. Comm. of Northrop Grumman Pension Plan, et al., 101 F. 4th 641 (9th Cir. 2024).
- Farrah, et al. v. Emirates, et al., - F. Supp. 3d -, 2024 WL 1374762 (S.D.N.Y. 2024).
- Wright v. Elton Corp., No. CV 17-286, 2023 WL 1112022 (D. Del. Jan. 25, 2023).
- Disberry v. Employee Relations Committee of the Colgate-Palmolive Co., et al., 2022 WL 17807122 (S.D.N.Y. Dec. 19, 2022).
- Moon v. Board of Trustees of the PAMCAH-UA Local 675 Pension Fund, 319 F. Supp. 3d 1193 (N. D. Cal. 2018).
- Irvin v. Contra Costa County Employees’ Retirement Assoc., et al., 13 Cal. App. 5th 162 (2017).
- Koeplin v. Klotz, et al., 265 F. Supp. 3d 1039 (N.D. Cal. 2017).
- Sizemore v. Pacific Gas & Electric Retirement Plan, 939 F. Supp. 2d 987 (N.D. Cal. 2013).
- Sizemore v. Pacific Gas & Electric Retirement Plan, 952 F. Supp. 2d 894 (N.D. Cal. 2013).
- Beeson, et al. v. Fireman’s Fund Insurance Co., et al., 2009 WL 2761469 (N.D. Cal. Aug. 31, 2009).
- Fernandez v. K-M Industries Holding Co., 585 F. Supp. 2d 1177 (N.D. Cal. 2008).
- Fernandez v. K-M Industries Holding Co., 646 F. Supp. 2d 1150 (N.D. Cal. 2009).
Admissions
- State Bar of California
- State Bar of Maryland
- Northern District of California
- Eastern District of California
- U.S. Courts of Appeals: Third and Ninth Circuits
Honors and Awards
- Northern California Super Lawyers, Employee Benefits/ERISA, 2019–present
- Top Women Attorneys in Northern California, 2022-2024
- Northern California Rising Star, 2014-2017
Professional and Civic Activities
- Bar Association of San Francisco, Solo and Small Firm Section Executive Committee Chair (2023), Member (2016-present).
- ABA Tort Trial and Insurance Practice Section, Employee Benefits Committee Chair (2022-23), Member (2015-present).
- National Employment Lawyers Association, Employee Benefits Committee Co-Chair (2021-present), Annual Convention Committee (2012-2014).
- Supervising Attorney, Legal Aid at Work, Workers' Rights Clinic (2008-present).
- Board Member, Environmental Traveling Companions Executive Committee Member (2020-present), Member (2016-present).
- Board Member, AIDS Legal Referral Panel (2012-2014).
- Mock Trial Coach, Bar Association of San Francisco (2011-2012).
