Kristin Knuuttila.

With nearly 30 years of litigation experience, Kristin Knuuttila is at the forefront of sexual abuse law leading groundbreaking cases against perpetrators and the institutions that harbor them.

Kristin won the highest child sexual abuse verdict of its time in Massachusetts history—an unprecedented $10 million. The verdict soared to $15 million after interest was added. When the perpetrator appealed claiming the verdict was too high, Kristin took on the appeal and won again. Kristin is proud that her clients’ win is now relied upon as precedent for other survivors.

"I love to get predators in the witness chair and make them squirm, stripping them of the power they once held over a child. "

Kristin's impressive win showed her that her legal skills were unique. By employing her talent and expertise in taking on sexual predators, she could help others in a profound way. She left her role as a partner in a large general-practice firm to launch a next-generation, female-led firm dedicated to representing survivors of child sexual abuse. By listening carefully to her clients and developing innovative wins, Kristin now delivers meaningful justice to the survivors she serves.

Awards + Honors

  •  Super Lawyer, Boston Magazine, 2018-present
  • "Shining Star" award, Victim Rights Law Center, 2019
  • "Top Women of Law" award, Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly, 2017
  • Record-Setting $10M verdict in Massachusetts as of 2014

Panels + Publications

  • Discussant Leader and Presenter, The Carrot or the Stick? How to Reduce Legal and Financial Liability?, MassKids and NCVBA National Conference on Innovative Strategies to Prevent Educator Sexual Misconduct in Public and Private Schools, October 2017
  • Presenter, Anatomy of a Sex Abuse Case, Massachusetts Academy of Trial Attorneys (MATA), Spring 2016
  • Presenter, Civil Legal Remedies for Minor Victims of Sexual Violence, Massachusetts Children’s Alliance Annual Statewide Conference, Spring 2016
  • Panelist, Obtaining a $10 Million Verdict in a Sex Abuse Case, MassKids Child Abuse Seminar, 2015
  • “Using Receivership to Collect Judgments Against Individuals,” Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly, April 1, 2017
  • “Intrafamilial Child Sexual Abuse,” Massachusetts Lawyers Journal, Vol. 24, No. 4, May/June 2017

"While I wish there was no such thing as sexual abuse, each call I receive means that a survivor is no longer suffering in silence."

Community Service + Boards

  • Board Member, Massachusetts Citizens for Children (MassKids), 2017-2022
  • Advisory Board Member, MassKids, 2022-date
  • Pro Bono Attorney, Victim Rights Law Center Rape Survivors’ Law Project
  • Appointed to the Judicial Nominating Commission (the screening arm for judicial nominations to Massachusetts state courts) by Governor Maura Healey, 2023
  • Member, National Crime Victim Bar Association
  • Volunteer, Newton Turkey Trot, Cradles for Crayons

Education + Bar Admissions

Catholic University, J.D., cum laude, 1996
Syracuse University, B.A., 1991
Admitted to practice in Massachusetts State and Federal Courts

Before facing my rapists/torturers after 40 years of not seeing them, Kristin told me “I got this.” Her confidence gave me a lot of peace and reassurance. She mopped the floor with them!

~ MA Boarding School Survivor

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