Meredith W. Knudsen

BIOGRAPHY

Meredith W. Knudsen is a partner in the firm’s Litigation section. Ms. Knudsen has a decade of experience facilitating resolutions for businesses and individuals in a variety of disputes and litigation matters, including complex commercial disputes, business torts, personal injury, products liability, premises liability, and employment matters.  Ms. Knudsen also regularly defends and advises air carriers and commercial developers in a variety of matters.

Prior to joining Kelly Hart, Ms. Knudsen was an associate at Reed Smith LLP in its Washington, DC and Houston offices, where she gained significant experience representing banks, oil and gas companies, product manufacturers, and healthcare providers. She is licensed in Texas and in the District of Columbia and has handled lawsuits in numerous other jurisdictions, including California, Louisiana, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Delaware, New Mexico, and Utah.

While in law school, Ms. Knudsen interned with the Honorable Ewing Werlein Jr. of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas, as well as for the United States Attorney’s Office in Washington, D.C., and the Department of Justice – Office of Special Counsel for Immigration-Related Unfair Employment Practices.

Ms. Knudsen graduated from The University of Texas at Austin, magna cum laude, with a B.S. in Public Relations. She received her J.D. from The George Washington University Law School, with honors, in 2013.

EXPERIENCE AND HIGHLIGHTS

• Successfully defended south Texas ranch owner in lawsuit where plaintiff alleged multi-million dollar damages from injuries sustained after driving his motorcycle into a cloud of smoke which resulted from a lightning strike on the ranch owner’s property. Obtained complete dismissal of all claims on the eve of trial 
• Successfully defended railroad in insurance coverage dispute.  Obtained complete dismissal of all claims through summary judgment
• Successfully defended air carrier in survival and wrongful death lawsuit.  Obtained complete dismissal of all claims through summary judgment based on a lack of medical causation
• Successfully defended pharmacogenetics company in dispute with former employee who alleged damage claims ranging between $44M to $82M.  Obtained a take-nothing judgment for former employee at trial
• Represented global energy company in toxic tort litigation, which included upstream, midstream, downstream, and residential claims involving alleged exposures to aromatics (benzene, gasoline, diesel, among others).  Obtained multiple favorable settlements
• Represented global medical device company in multidistrict litigation against product liability claims.  Obtained multiple favorable settlements
• Represented nonprofit organization in contract and tort dispute with former partner.  Obtained complete dismissal of all claims through summary judgment
• Trial counsel for global healthcare company in two patent infringement trials in the United States District Court for the District of Delaware

AFFILIATIONS

• Tarrant County Bar Association
• Tarrant County Young Lawyers Association

HONORS

• Texas Super Lawyers Rising Stars, Thomson Reuters, 2022, 2023
  • Business Litigation 
• Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch® in America, Best Lawyers®, U.S. News & World Report, 2022-2025
  • Commercial Litigation
  • Litigation | Real Estate
• Top Attorney, 360 West magazine, 2020, 2022-2024
  • Product Liability Law
• Top Attorney, Fort Worth Magazine, 2020, 2022, 2023
  • Civil Law | Litigation

EDUCATION

• The George Washington University Law School, J.D., with honors, 2013
• The University of Texas at Austin, B.S., magna cum laude, 2010

ADMISSIONS

• State Bar of Texas, 2013
• District of Columbia Bar, 2016
• U.S. District Court, Southern District of Texas
• U.S. District Court, Northern District of Texas

SPEECHES & PUBLICATIONS

• Speaker, “Leading through Intention,” HUB Leadership Summit, August 2023
• Author, “Fifth Circuit Bursts Plaintiff’s Bubble in Benzene Case,” IADC Toxic and Hazardous Substances Litigation Committee Newsletter, November 2016