Super Lawyers™ Rising Stars
2021–2026
An honor reserved for the top 2.5% of attorneys in Southern California.
Founder & Managing Attorney
Kristina Unanyan, Esq.
Kristina Unanyan is the founder and managing attorney of Unanyan Law, Inc., a California employment law firm dedicated to representing employees whose rights have been violated in the workplace. Throughout her career, Kristina has focused exclusively on advocating for workers who have experienced wrongful termination, discrimination, harassment, retaliation, and other unlawful workplace conduct.
Kristina represents employees in matters involving discrimination and unequal treatment based on age, gender, pregnancy, disability, medical condition, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, national origin, immigration status, religion, and other protected characteristics. She is passionate about holding corporations and government entities accountable when they abuse their power or violate employee rights. Over the course of her career, Kristina has helped recover more than $30 million on behalf of her clients.
Kristina has been repeatedly selected as a Rising Star by Super Lawyers™ from 2021 through 2026, an honor limited to the top 2.5% of attorneys in Southern California. She was also recognized by Lawyers of Distinction in 2024 and 2025 for excellence in employment law.
Kristina earned a Certificate in Dispute Resolution from the Straus Institute at Pepperdine Caruso School of Law, one of the nation's leading programs in mediation and dispute resolution. Because employment disputes are frequently resolved through mediation, negotiated settlement, or other forms of alternative dispute resolution, this training has played an important role in shaping her strategic and results-driven approach to advocacy. Her background in negotiation and conflict resolution allows her to effectively navigate complex workplace disputes while pursuing meaningful outcomes for employees facing unlawful treatment.
Kristina also earned a Certificate in Law and Entrepreneurship through the Palmer Center, where she studied business strategy, innovation, and the legal challenges businesses face. This training provides valuable insight into how employers operate and make decisions, allowing her to more effectively analyze workplace policies, corporate practices, and employment disputes.
She is admitted to practice law before the State Bar of California and the United States District Court for the Central District of California. Kristina is also a member of the California Employment Lawyers Association.
Background & Credentials
Education, training, and admissions.
- Pepperdine Caruso School of LawJuris Doctor (J.D.)
- University of California, Santa BarbaraBachelor of Arts (B.A.)
- Straus Institute Certificate in Dispute Resolution
- Palmer Center Certificate in Law and Entrepreneurship
- State Bar of California
- United States District Court for the Central District of California
- California Employment Lawyers Association (CELA)
Languages
We represent clients in four languages so you can describe what happened in the words that feel most natural.
- English
- ArmenianՀայերեն
- RussianРусский
- SpanishEspañol
Publications
Selected scholarship.
Walk a Mile in the Shoes of a Copyright Troll: Analyzing and Overcoming the Joinder Problem in BitTorrent Lawsuits
Pepperdine Journal of Business, Entrepreneurship & the Law, Vol. 8, No. 2 (2015)
Give Me Back My Toy: Analyzing How the Decision-Making Styles of the Parties in MGA Entertainment v. Mattel Led to Missed Opportunities and Proposing a Solution That Would Bring Parties Closer to Settlement
American Journal of Mediation, Vol. 8 (2015)
Approach
Why we only represent workers.
Unanyan Law represents employees, not employers. That distinction shapes everything we do — the cases we take, the strategies we use, and the relationships we build with the people who come to us at the worst moment of their professional lives.
Kristina's training in negotiation and dispute resolution through the Straus Institute, combined with her background in business law through the Palmer Center, gives her the ability to understand how employers think, how policies are written, and where the leverage in a case really lies. That perspective consistently translates into stronger results for our clients.
We work on a contingency fee basis — no fee unless we recover for you. Initial consultations are free and confidential.
The Team
