Episode 41: Be Your Own Kind of Lawyer with Krisina Zuñiga

In this episode of The Newfangled Lawyer Podcast, host Patrick welcomes Krisina Zuñiga, a newly minted partner at Susman Godfrey, as the first episode of Season 3 following a brief hiatus. Krisina offers insights into balancing a demanding legal career while maintaining personal well-being.

Krisina shares her path to becoming a partner, highlighting her background growing up in Laredo, Texas, a border town, and her experiences as both a federal law clerk and attorney. She reflects on how her upbringing shaped her professional identity. Krisina also explains how her philosophy studies, particularly in ethics and logic, enhanced her ability to navigate the complexities of law with a sharp, analytical approach, bringing a fresh perspective to her litigation work.

The conversation explores being a female Hispanic attorney and how Krisina manages the balance between her legal career and motherhood. She describes her approach to handling both worlds with intention, supported by a strong family network and a firm culture that embraces work-life balance. Krisina also touches on her mentorship and involvement in the community, emphasizing the importance of setting boundaries and prioritizing what truly matters.

This engaging episode offers a fresh take on what it means to be a "newfangled lawyer" — one who embraces both professional excellence and personal fulfillment. Krisina’s story is not only a testament to her resilience but also an inspiration for attorneys who aspire to make meaningful choices in their careers and lives.

About Krisina:

Krisina Zuñiga represents plaintiffs and defendants in all types of commercial litigation. Career highlights include securing a dismissal of the FTC’s antitrust challenges to client Intercontinental Exchange’s proposed $11+ billion acquisition of Black Knight; winning a nearly $40 million judgment for the defendant Repeat Precision after a federal court trial; and representing the City of Baltimore in its litigation against the opioid distributors and manufacturers that fueled the worst opioid epidemic in the country, which litigation is ongoing and has already resulted in $242.5 million in settlements, a larger recovery than the City would have received under the global settlement. Krisina has been recognized by the American Bar Association as one of the nation’s Top 40 Lawyers Under 40, by the National Law Journal as a Rising Star of the Plaintiff’s Bar, by Super Lawyers as a “Rising Star,” by Bloomberg Law as an “Intellectual Property Fresh Face,” by Texas Lawyer as one of fewer than 30 lawyers “On the Rise,” and by the Greater Houston Women’s Chamber of Commerce as a “Breakthrough Woman.” Krisina joined Susman Godfrey after clerking for the Honorable Diana Saldaña of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas in her hometown of Laredo, Texas, and the Honorable Jennifer Walker Elrod of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. Krisina earned her J.D. from Stanford Law School after graduating summa cum laude from Rice University. She is a past president of the Houston Young Lawyers Association and a board member of the Houston Bar Foundation and the Hispanic Bar Association of Houston.

www.linkedin.com/in/krisina-zuniga

https://www.susmangodfrey.com/attorneys/krisina-zuniga/