Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Kristina Bergsten. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Kristina, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today. Let’s jump to the end – what do you want to be remembered for?
I hope my legacy will be creating the law firm that responds to the legal needs of animals and their people. Right now, I am one of the few animal law firms in America, but I am the only one with offices that span the United States. Currently, The Animal Law Firm is fighting for underdogs in Colorado, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey, and we have plans to be in all 50 states in the next 15 years. Animal law is a misunderstood and often maligned area of the law, but the thousands of people and their pets, livestock, and hobby animals that I have helped shows that more could be done for this underserved population. My team and I are doing so much to change the legal landscape for animal law and I hope my legacy will be giving hope to people and pets when facing legal challenges.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I started The Animal Law Firm in Denver, Colorado over five years ago. It was born out of my humble beginnings practicing law in Philadelphia. When I moved to Colorado, I saw the need for animal law, just as I had discovered it was needed in Philadelphia. I represent people and their pets in pet custody disputes, dog bite defense (for the dog accused of biting), service animal representation, puppy lemon law violations, puppy purchase contract disputes, animal rights activists representation and so much more.
What sets us apart from others is that we represent the animal, not just the person. And we practice animal law exclusively – not in addition to other areas of law. We know the ins and outs of animal legal representation better than anyone. We are changing the legal landscape for animals and making the legal system take a more animal-welfare centered view when deciding cases.
As our tagline says, we are fighting for the underdog and we are proud to take on the “ruff” cases that no one else will!
Any advice for managing a team?
I only hire people who are smarter and more ambitious than me – so it makes it easy to compliment, reward, and encourage my team. It also helps that these brilliant folks also have a passion for learning new things, getting creative with the law, and taking chances to help animals. But I like to think that giving my staff afternoons off just for a mental health break, letting them work from home, and being flexible about time off really helps keep up morale. The work we do is challenging, but being respectful of everyone’s hard work and telling them they did excellent when they did well and encouraging them to pick themselves up when things didn’t go as planned really helps.
Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?
I think my honesty and sincerity with my clients has helped me build my reputation. I help people who thought they had no hope and I tell it like it is to people who are facing serious legal challenges. I always say that I’d rather starve on my integrity than get fat off my lies, and I mean that. I think my clients know that I mean that, as well. Because even when things don’t go well – which happens sometimes – my clients appreciate that I didn’t give them false hope and I was realistic and honest about the pros and cons of a certain course of action.
Contact Info:
- Website: Www.theanimallawfirm.com
- Instagram: @theanimallawfirm.com
- Facebook: Www.Facebook.com/theanimallawfirm.com
- Yelp: https://youtube.com/channel/UCwaXb5N3OamjsPXmc1l7PsA
Image Credits
Britton Murrey