Kristen Beck
Senior Associate
Ms. Beck is a Senior Associate at Keating, Bucklin & McCormack, Inc. P.S. She is an experienced trial attorney, litigating over 100 trials in federal, state, and municipal courts. Ms. Beck was a Deputy Prosecuting Attorney in both Pierce and Snohomish Counties. She has been a prosecutor, plaintiff’s counsel, defense attorney, and victims’ counsel, demonstrating experience representing parties on all sides of a case. Prior to joining the firm, Ms. Beck was serving as a JAG in the United States Air Force. She is currently a Lieutenant Colonel in the Washington Air National Guard.
Ms. Beck graduated cum laude and with honors from Chapman University, where she spent a semester studying abroad in Japan. She graduated cum laude from Seattle University School of Law, where she served as the Vice President of the Alternative Dispute Resolutions Board. On her free time, she enjoys cooking, yoga, reading novels, and volunteering in the community.
Ms. Beck is admitted to practice in all Washington State courts, the Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces, and the Air Force Court of Criminal Appeals.
Representative Cases
- Charged and prosecuted the first military overseas “To Catch a Predator” case, teaming with Special Agents from NCIS to successfully prosecute 8 cases.
- Ms. Beck was hand-selected as one of the first Special Victims’ Counsel, an inaugural program representing crime victims in the Air Force, earning a DOJ Service Award. She has been a legal advisor in board and administrative hearings. She has also been an administrative investigator in workplace discrimination cases. In the military, she served overseas where she was the chief legal advisor on the Military Extraterritorial Jurisdiction Act (MEJA) and Status of Forces Agreement investigations and cases. In this capacity, she worked closely with Japanese Law Enforcement, FBI, military special agents, and Assistant United States Attorneys for the successful overseas transfer and prosecution of cases.
Education, Recognition, and Honors
- Chapman University, B.A. Legal Studies and Japanese , cum laude (2007).
- Nanzan University, Certificate of Japanese Studies (2007)
- Seattle University School of Law, J.D., cum laude (2010)
Professional and Community Activities
Washington Air National Guard 2018-present