Emily N. Christiansen, a partner of the Firm, focuses her practice on securities litigation and non-US actions in particular. Emily devotes her time to advising clients on the challenges and benefits of pursuing particular litigation opportunities in jurisdictions outside the U.S. In those non-US actions where Kessler Topaz is actively involved, Emily liaises with local counsel, helps develop case strategy, reviews pleadings, and helps clients understand and successfully navigate the legal process. Her experience includes non-US opt-in actions, international law, and portfolio monitoring and claims administration.
Emily received her Juris Doctor and Global Law certificate, cum laude, from Lewis and Clark Law School in 2012 and is a graduate of the University of Portland, where she received her Bachelor of Arts, cum laude, in Political Science and German Studies. During law school Emily worked as a law clerk at a law firm specializing in ERISA benefits litigation. She also interned in Trial Chambers III at the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (and while there was involved with the trial of the former Bosnian Serb President, Radovan Karadzic) and spent two months in India as a foreign legal trainee with the corporate law firm of Fox Mandal. Emily is a 2007 recipient of a Fulbright Fellowship and is fluent in German.
Speaking Engagements
Panelist on “What Does It Mean To Be A Litigant? A Blunt Discussion Of The Work and Resources Involved” Litigation & Governance: Trends for Nordic Asset Managers & Owners, September 12, 2019, Copenhagen, Denmark
Panelist on "Lessons learned from Volkswagen" 4th Annual IBA Corporate Governance Conference, December 7-8, 2017, Frankfurt, Germany
Moderator/Speaker on “Volkswagen: An Uneven Race”, American Bar Association Webinar, June 15, 2016
Moderator/Speaker and Program Chair of “Securities Litigation Under the Japanese Financial Instruments and Exchange Act and in Other Asian Countries: Progress and Predictions” 2016 American Bar Association Section of International Law Fall Meeting, October 21, 2016. Tokyo, Japan
Moderator and Program Chair of “A Carrot or a Stick: What is the Best Approach for Encouraging and Shaping Corporate Social Responsibility Policies?” 2014 American Bar Association Section of International Law Spring Meeting, April 2, 2014, New York
Moderator and Program Chair of “Collective Action: Pension Plan Involvement in Class Actions” Benefits Without Borders: Global Pension and Employee Benefits Lawyers Conference, June 22-24, 2014, Chicago
Publication
Contributor to the Nappa White Paper “Around the World in a Decade: The Evolving Landscape of Securities Litigation Post-Morrison” June 2019
Contributor to the NAPPA White Paper “Post-Morrison: The Global Journey Towards Asset Recovery, June 2016”
Co-author of “Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorist Finance: Year-in-Review 2015,” The American Bar Association Section of International Law Year in Review: 2015, Vol. No. 50 (2016)
Co-author of “International Anti-Money Laundering,”The American Bar Association Section of International Law Year In Review: 2013,Vol. No. 48 (2014)
Co-author of “Corporate Social Responsibility,” The American Bar Association Section of International Law Year In Review: 2013,Vol. No. 48 (2014)
Awards/Ranking
Fulbright Fellowship (2007-2008)
Second Place in the Davis Wright Tremaine International Law Writing Competition (2011)
Winner of Best Memorial at the Jessup International Moot Court Mid-Atlantic Regional Competition (2012) Quarterfinalist at the Jessup International Moot Court Mid-Atlantic Regional Competition (2012)
Membership
American Bar Association Section of International Law
- Deputy Rule of Law Officer (2017 – present)
- Co-Chair of the Young Lawyers' Interest Network (2016 – present)
- Co-Chair of International Anti-Money Laundering (2014- 2017)
- Vice Chair of the Corporate Social Responsibility Committee (2012-2016)
- Vice Chair of the Young Lawyers' Interest Network (2014-2016)
American Bar Foundation Fellow
Community Involvement
Secretary of the Board of the Storybook Society of Team FirstBook Philadelphia
American Cancer Society (Participant in the Philadelphia Bike-a-Thon)