Kimberly E. Carson

KIMBERLY E. CARSON is a partner in Quinn Emmanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, LLP’s, New York office.  Kimberly is a litigator with experience representing both plaintiffs and defendants in a wide range of complex commercial disputes.  Her experience includes successfully litigating cases involving employment matters, corporate raids, trade secrets, breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty, business torts, fraud, and mergers and acquisitions.  Kimberly has an active trial practice, and has appeared and argued in a variety of forums, including in state and federal courts and in arbitrations in New York, Delaware, and around the country.

Kimberly is an expert in employment litigation in particular, including in cases involving employee movement, restrictive covenants (non-competes and non-solicits), trade secret misappropriation, discrimination, harassment, retaliation, whistleblowing, wrongful termination, and senior executive/founder departure disputes.  Kimberly has litigated several high-stakes, high-dollar cases involving the movement of large groups of employees between competitors, on both plaintiff and defense sides.  For example, Kimberly handled an expedited case stemming from a large corporate raid termed the “Worst (Non-Lawyer) Lateral Acquisition Ever” by AmLaw Litigation Daily, in which her Firm successfully obtained injunctive relief in the Delaware Court of Chancery.  Kimberly also has significant experience litigating issues concerning California’s laws and public policy related to restrictive covenants and employee mobility. 

In addition to her litigation practice, Kimberly also regularly advises clients on sensitive pre-litigation executive movement and other sensitive personnel matters, advises on risk mitigation, conducts internal investigations, and negotiates separation settlements. 

Kimberly has represented a broad range of companies in employment matters, including employers in technology, insurance, and banking and financial services.  Her extensive employment experience on both plaintiff and defense sides uniquely positions her as a master strategist in this space.  As a result, Kimberly is regularly invited to present on trends in restrictive covenant and trade secret litigation across the country.

Kimberly has been repeatedly recognized as a “Rising Star” by Super Lawyers (2020-2024).  She has also been named a Rising Star for Dispute Resolution: General Commercial Disputes by The Legal 500 (2021).

Prior to joining the Firm, Kimberly served as a legal intern to both the Honorable Richard M. Berman, United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, and the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York.  During law school, Kimberly served as an editor of the Urban Law Journal at Fordham University School of Law, where she graduated with honors.