Overview
Kristen Swift assists her clients with insurance coverage and litigation, professional liability (doctors, psychiatrists, accountants, lawyers), labor and employment, commercial litigation, construction, and real estate disputes. She acts as Delaware counsel and recently launched an arbitration and mediation practice where she offers her services as a third-party neutral. Ms. Swift has nearly a decade of experience representing clients from case origination to resolution.
Ms. Swift defends clients in all aspects of insurance coverage and litigation. She represents directors and officers in high stakes claims litigation, fiduciary coverage issues, bad faith dispute litigation, policyholder disputes, and defends insureds against liability matters. Ms. Swift provides guidance to insurance carriers on underwriting and product development, including policies, endorsements, and coverage agreements.
She defends employers in wage and hour cases, against retaliation and discrimination claims, and provides general consultation and advice on workplace investigation and best practices.
In her commercial litigation practice, Ms. Swift represents corporate clients as general counsel and assists corporate and individual clients in a range of disputes.
Ms. Swift’s real estate practice includes advising Homeowner Association Boards and members and litigating HOA disputes. She assists individuals with nuisance claims, deed issues, and offers advice on general real estate issues, including commercial leases.
Before joining Kaufman Dolowich, Ms. Swift co-managed the Delaware office of a national law firm, developing their real estate practice and overseeing their workers’ compensation practice. Prior to that role, she worked as an associate on civil litigation matters and as a litigator for a national insurance carrier. During law school, Ms. Swift was awarded the merit-based Josiah S. Wolcott Fellowship and clerked for former Justice Jack B. Jacobs of the Delaware Supreme Court. She interned for the Honorable Leonard P. Stark, formerly of the United States District Court, District of Delaware, and for the Honorable Judge Mary F. Walrath of the United States Bankruptcy Court, District of Delaware before graduating magna cum laude.
Admissions
- Delaware
- United States District Court
- District of Delaware
Education
- The Delaware Law School, J.D., magna cum laude
- West Chester University of Pennsylvania, B.S.
Professional Memberships
- American Bar Association Member – Business Law and Litigation Sections
- Delaware Lawyers’ Fund for Client Protection, Trustee
- Delaware State Bar Association, Past Chair, Litigation Section
- Delaware State Bar Association, Past Chair, Torts & Insurance Practice Section
- Delaware State Bar Journal, Editor
- Law360 Editorial Advisory Board Member for Delaware (2023)
- Richard S. Rodney American Inn of Court
Awards
- Super Lawyer “Rising Star” 2019 – 2024
- Named in Delaware Today‘s 2022 and 2023 “Top Lawyers” list — Insurance Law; Named as a “Top Lawyer” in Delaware by Delaware Today since 2018
Publications
- Perspectives: Electronic records: A double-edged sword for health care professionals, by Kristen Swift, Esq. published in Business Insurance, 9-1-2024
- Best Practices in Small Business Claims Mitigation, PropertyCasualty360, quotes Partner Kristen Swift, 5-15-2024
- Kristen Swift, Esq. highlighted in Law360 Insurance Authority article ” Kaufman Dolowich Adds Partner In New Delaware Office,” 2-22-2024
- “What the Insurance Industry Needs to Know: The ChatGPT Impact,” Delaware State Bar Association Journal, October, 6, 2023
- “Creative Solutions for Landlords Navigating the Landlord-Tenant Landscape”, Delaware Business Magazine, March/April 2023
- “A Profile on Chancellor Kathleen S. McCormick”, Delaware State Bar Association Journal, September 1, 2021
News
- 4.25.2024 CLE Speaker, “Navigating the Complexities of Contribution and Indemnity: A legal framework for lawyers”
- 2.2.2024 Speaker, “Litigating on a Budget: Applying the Blue Ocean Strategy to Control Legal Spend Management” 2024 ALM Complex Claims and Litigation Forum
- 12.7.2023 Panelist, “Mandatory Mediation in Construction: Now, Shake Hands and Be Friends” ExecuSummit Annual 2023 Construction Defect Summit
- 9.20.23 Speaker, “Complex Landlord-Tenant Issues and Answers,” National Business Initiative (NBI)
- 3. 15.23 Panelist, “Where Have All the Employees Gone?” ExecuSummit Annual 2022 Women in Insurance Conference
- 12.7.22 Speaker, “Ethical Issues: Bath Faith, Excess Verdicts, Consent Clauses and Burning Policy Limits” ExecuSummit Annual 2022 Construction Defect Summit
- 4.11.22 Speaker, “The First 48 Hours: Best Practices for Conducting Internal Workplace Investigations and Responding to Employee Claims,” RIMS RISKWORLD Annual Conference 2022
- 3.29.22 Panelist, “Maximizing Legal Analytics as a Competitive Advantage in Delaware State Trial Courts,” Delaware State Bar Association
- 2.15.22 Moderator, “Precise, Powerful, and Persuasive: Legal Writing for Litigators 2022” Delaware State Bar Association
- 4.14.21 Panelist, “The Use of Videoconferencing Technology in Litigation: Best Practices and Potential Pitfalls,” Delaware State Bar Association
- 11.20.20 Speaker, “De-escalating Conflicts During Mediations and Generally: Why, When & How to Work Through Conflict & Achieve a Positive Outcome,” Mediation in the Delaware Courts and Inaugural Presentation of the Kimmel-Thynge Award, Ethics CLE
- 10.20.20 Moderator, “Fundamentals of Civil Litigation,” Delaware State Bar Association
- 10.30.19 Speaker, How to Employ Verbal De-escalation Tactics in Claim Handling,” Delaware Claims Association
Speaking Engagements
Awards & Honors
No aspect of the advertisement has been approved by the Supreme Court. Learn more about the selection methodology of awards and honors.