Kristen Smith-Dayley

Kristen has more than twenty-five years of experience advising emerging growth, mid-market, and Fortune 500 companies on a wide range of strategic transactions, licensing matters, complex commercial contracts, product counseling and other operational issues. Kristen also supports her clients by helping to develop and implement contracting processes and templates that reduce review cycles and minimize risk. Kristen’s clients span multiple industries, including manufacturing, telehealth, technology, insurance, ecommerce, and hospitality. Drawing on both outside and in-house legal experience, Kristen provides practical advice that is also sensitive to the demands on business and legal executives.

Prior to joining Scale, Kristen founded and led a boutique law firm, where she served as outside general counsel to dozens of growth stage companies. She also served as VP and Associate General Counsel of Safeco Corporation, leading its Strategic Transactions Group and, most notably, negotiating the company’s merger with Liberty Mutual. She began her legal career as an Associate with Sulivan & Cromwell LLP.

At Scale, Kristen helps as a Co-Practice Group Leader and Co-Chair of Pro Bono Programs. In addition to providing pro bono services for refugees seeking asylum and humanitarian parole, she also currently serves as Executive Director of Their Story Is Our Story, a non-profit organization dedicated to sharing first-hand refugee stories to help educate, advocate, and encourage integration.

Kristen received her J.D. from Harvard Law School and is a member of the Washington and California bar associations.