Kristina J. Fonte
Attorney Brief
Kristina Fonte represents families, fiduciaries, businesses, and insurers in complex disputes involving trusts, estates, successions, taxes, commercial relationships, and insurance coverage. She practices in Louisiana state and federal trial and appellate courts, helping clients navigate matters in which legal, financial, and personal interests often overlap.
Kristina brings nearly two decades of litigation experience to her work. She began her career handling insurance claims arising from Hurricane Katrina and later represented federally participating flood insurers in litigation involving Hurricanes Isaac and Sandy. That foundation gave her substantial experience managing document-intensive cases, interpreting policies and federal regulations, working with experts, and litigating in multiple jurisdictions.
Today, Kristina applies that experience to disputes involving closely held businesses, family assets, fiduciary duties, testamentary instruments, trusts, successions, and contested financial issues.
Education
· Loyola University New Orleans College of Law, J.D., 2006
- Certificate in International Law
- Studied law in Vienna, Austria
· University of New Orleans, B.A. in Economics, with honors, 2003
Narrative
Kristina understands that trust and succession disputes are rarely just about legal documents. They may involve the management of a family business, control of valuable property, questions about a fiduciary’s conduct, competing interpretations of a will, or disagreements among people with longstanding personal relationships. She works to identify the controlling legal and financial issues, explain the available options, and develop a strategy aligned with the client’s broader objectives.
Her economics background is especially useful in disputes involving business interests, asset valuations, tax questions, insurance proceeds, and complex financial records. Whether the matter is resolved through negotiation, motion practice, trial, or appeal, Kristina focuses on making complicated issues understandable and helping clients make informed decisions.
Kristina also has considerable insurance experience. She has handled both first-party and third-party claims and has represented Write Your Own carriers participating in the National Flood Insurance Program. Her catastrophe-related work has included claims arising from Hurricanes Katrina, Isaac, and Sandy in Louisiana and in federal courts outside the state.
In addition, Kristina handles judicial approval of settlements involving minors, where careful attention must be given to the child’s interests, court requirements, settlement structures, and the management of funds.
Bar, Courts & Professional Affiliations
- Louisiana, 2007
- All Louisiana district and appellate courts
- United States District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana
- United States District Court for the Western District of Louisiana
Kristina has also been admitted pro hac vice for particular matters in:
- United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York
- United States District Court for the District of New Jersey
- United States District Court for the District of Rhode Island
Professional Affiliations
- Louisiana State Bar Association
- New Orleans Bar Association
Representative Work
- Represented parties in complex trust, estate, and succession litigation in Louisiana trial and appellate courts
- Served as counsel for the respondent in Succession of Frabbiele, a Louisiana Supreme Court matter addressing whether a notarial will satisfied Louisiana’s statutory signature requirements. Published decision
- Appeared as counsel in the consolidated Louisiana Supreme Court proceedings involving the Succession of Bonny Babin Maloney
- Represented insurers and insured parties in federal personal-injury and coverage litigation, including Collins v. Benton, 470 F. Supp. 3d 596 (E.D. La. 2020)
- Defended Write Your Own flood-insurance carriers in federal litigation arising from Hurricanes Isaac and Sandy
- Handled state and federal insurance litigation following Hurricane Katrina