Kristen Smith
MelbournePortfolio Manager - Australia and Senior Investment Manager
Kristen Smith is the Portfolio Manager – Australia and a Senior Investment Manager for Omni Bridgeway. Kristen is responsible for overseeing the Australian funded investments portfolio and matters under due diligence, taking a leading role in supporting the Australian investments team. Kristen also assists with the development and execution of business strategy in the region.
In her capacity as a Senior Investment Manager, Kristen is responsible for assessing new investment opportunities and managing Omni Bridgeway’s investments in a range of funded claims. Kristen’s specialisation is in class actions and corporations law claims.
Kristen joined Omni Bridgeway in 2015 and has led numerous successfully resolved disputes which have collectively generated more than $100 million in recoveries for claimants. She has also developed novel financing products to assist law firms achieve their growth strategies. Kristen has assisted a wide variety of claimants pursue their claims, including listed companies, SMEs, and private individuals.
Prior to joining Omni Bridgeway, Kristen worked in one of Australia’s most successful class action teams. Over her time in practice, Kristen worked in both the class action and commercial litigation teams. She has extensive class action experience and has also worked on insolvency matters, commercial disputes, and several high profile out-of-court dispute resolution schemes with major financial institutions. Kristen brings a strategic, client-centered, and commercial mindset to complex litigation to assist claimants to achieve their desired outcomes.
Kristen has also worked for Dundas & Wilson (now CMS) in Scotland and was formerly an Associate to the Supreme Court of Victoria’s Associate Justice Efthim. Kristen serves as the Vice President on the board of MESS Ltd, a not-for-profit arts organisation.
Kristen holds a Bachelor of Laws (Honours) and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Melbourne. Kristen is recognised in Lawdragon's Global 100 Leaders in Legal Finance 2023 and 2024 Guides and Who’s Who Legal: Thought Leaders – Third Party Funding 2023 and 2024 Guides.- Co-Author. Litigation: Six steps to success – Law Institute of Victoria Journal – 1 Oct 2020
- Co-Author. Costs budgeting: controlling the costs of litigation. The Australian Corporate Lawyer, Volume 29, Issue 1 – Autumn 2019
- Contributor. IMF Bentham’s Response to the Australian Law Reform Commission’s inquiry into class action proceedings and third-party litigation funders. August 2018.
- Author. What your small to medium sized business needs to know about litigation funding. IMF Bentham Blog. 3 October 2017.
- Author. The benefits of sharing your business litigation risk. IMF Bentham Blog. 3 February 2017.
- Author. At what stage should you involve a litigation funder? IMF Bentham Blog. 15 December 2016.
- Class actions where to from here? Panel Chair. Commercial Law Association (CLA) - Beyond the trends: Charting the future of class actions seminar. 30 August 2024. Sydney, NSW.
- The future of court approval and settlement administration/distribution (including the use of technology). The Future of Class Actions in Australia. The Association of Litigation Funders of Australia (ALFA). 27 October 2023.
- New-to-In-House Round Table – Legal Counsel or Counsellor. Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC). 29 November 2021.
- Demystifying Dispute Financing - Litigation as an Asset. Presentation. CPA Australia. 22 September 2021. Webinar
- Putting a price on privacy: The evolving legal landscape in Australia & beyond. Panel. Omni Bridgeway. 25 March 2021. Webinar
- Issues for In-House Counsel. Holding Redlich. Panel. 11 November 2020. Webinar.
- PFAS Contamination in Gippsland. Community Presentation. 4 October 2018. Gippsland, VIC.
- Corporate Funding Hypothetical. Minter Ellison. 9 March 2018. Melbourne, VIC.
- Litigation Funding for Insolvency Claims. KordaMentha. 6 October 2016. Melbourne, VIC.
- Litigation Funding for Insolvency Professionals. S.V. Partners. 30 June 2016. Melbourne, VIC.
- Litigation Funding for Insolvency and Commercial Claims. PCI Partners. 9 June 2016. Melbourne, VIC.
- Litigation Funding for Insolvency Professionals. Ferrier Hodgson. 27 April 2016. Melbourne, VIC.
- Litigation Funding for Insolvency and Commercial Claims. Cornwall Stoddart. 13 April 2016. Melbourne, VIC.
- Insolvency Litigation Funding. McGrath Nichol. 26 February 2016. Melbourne, VIC.