Kimberley E. Montanaro, Attorney

Kimberley E. Montanaro, a partner in the firm of Anticouni & Associates, LLP, passed away on January 3, 2010 from unknown causes. 

Kimberley spent her formative years in Malibu, California, graduating from Palisades Charter High School.  She obtained a Bachelor of Science Degree in Journalism from University of Colorado at Boulder in May 1995, and her Juris Doctorate from University of Denver, College of Law, in May 2002.                                   

During her too-short life, Kimberley held a variety of truly interesting jobs ranging from Los Angeles County lifeguard to publicity assistant for the television show Baywatch.  Following her admission to the California bar, Kimberley worked as a civil litigation attorney with the Santa Barbara firms of Hill & Trager; Minehan, McFaul & Fitch; and Anticouni & Associates. At Anticouni & Associates, she was primarily responsible for the firm's class action practice. 

In addition to work her work as an attorney, Kimberley stayed true to her lifelong commitment to help disadvantaged children.  Over the course of the last decade, she worked as the director of a non-profit foundation for homeless and disadvantaged youth, interned for the National Association of Counsel for Children, provided pro bono legal services at the Alliance for Children's Rights, and was a Court Appointed Special Advocate  (CASA) in Santa Barbara. 

Kimberley is survived by her parents, John and Susan Montanaro, her brother Jon, and her dog Casey. She is missed by a multitude of friends, colleagues and coworkers.  In lieu of flowers, her family requests that donations be made in Kimberley's name to CASA Santa Barbara, 118 East Figueroa Street, Santa Barbara, CA 93101. 

In the words of her colleagues:

During her two years with Anticouni & Associates, Kimberley oversaw the complex class action litigation on behalf of California employees.  She was incredibly organized which allowed her to keep track of thousands of class members and tens of thousands of individual documents with ease and grace.   

While the loss of Kimberley the attorney is difficult, the loss of Kimberley the person is devastating; she will be missed every day.  There are thousands of people who come and go in our lifetimes; Kimberley is one of the few individuals who will always be a part of our fondest memories.  I believe she loved each of us at the firm.  I know that we all loved her.
-Bruce Anticouni, Anticouni & Associates                 

Working for Kim over the last two years has been nothing short of amazing.  She was a brilliant attorney and one of the best writers I have ever known.  She had an aura about her that just made everyone smile. I feel blessed to have worked for, and been friends with, such a beautiful person.  She has undoubtedly made me a better person.
- Nichole Ricotta, Legal Assistant, Anticouni & Associates  

Kimberley was a kind, giving and generous person, almost to a fault.  She also had an excellent sense of humor, uncanny timing, and a brilliant legal mind.  I feel lucky to have memories to cherish that include random moments of pure enjoyment such as iPod music wars, as well as simple moments of camaraderie while working through cases. Her passing leaves me with a heavy heart, and yet I still feel the smile coming through that memories of time spent with her will always invoke.
- Kristi Rothschild, Anticouni & Associates

Kimberley was a kind and generous soul. She always found time to help others, sometimes putting them before herself.  Her unique presence and sense of humor have left an indelible mark on the world.  I cherish the good times we shared and I am grateful to have had her in my life.
-Jennifer Raphael, Anticouni & Associates

I met Kimberly when she first came to Santa Barbara and she immediately started giving back to a legal community that she just met by joining the board of Santa Barbara Women Lawyers. She was a wonderful woman and lawyer and she will be greatly missed.
-Cristi Michelon, Eaton, Jones & Michelon, former president of SBWL 

I enjoyed working with Kimberley over the past several months... I enjoyed every interaction that I had with her. Not only did she always go above and beyond to contribute her efforts on the case, but she also always had kind words to impart in each and every interaction that we had. I will truly miss her. I would like to express my condolences to her friends, colleagues, and family. 
- Lani Levine, Kingsley & Kingsley APC

Kimberley spent a year as an attorney with our office. While here, she immersed herself in the often byzantine issues inherent in a practice devoted to the analysis and litigation of insurance coverage issues, and she did so with determination and good humor. As a lawyer, she could be counted on to work hard, to do good work, and to always strive to do better. As a person, she was simply delightful.
- James M. McFaul, Minehan, McFaul & Fitch, LLP

"During the short time of my acquaintance with Kimberly as "opposing counsel," I found her to possess the highest professional standards and to be reliable in fulfilling agreements and carrying out commitments on matters of joint interest. And on matters where we could disagree, I was pleased to find that she was very professional in working through any such difficulties. I was very saddened on learning of her passing and realize that, not only will her law firm will have difficulty replacing her, the State Bar has lost a wonderful officer of the court."
-John K. Skousen, Fisher & Phillips LLP

 I am the managing partner of Murphy Rosen & Meylan, LLP. Prior to starting our firm in 2003, I was a partner at a different law firm and Kimberley worked for that firm as a summer associate. I was able to work with Kimberley during her summer there and I immediately recognized her promise. I also felt her outlook and demeaner were refreshingly positive and optimistic. She was not only smart and diligent, but genuinely a joy to be around (which some consider a rare trait in our business).

When I decided to start my own firm, I thought she would fit my new firm perfectly...During her stay here, she continuously met and exceeded our expectations. She would gladly pitch in on any task that needed to be accomplished, whether it was legal or management in nature. I will always be indebted to her for her contributions to our firm and the positive attitude she not just exuded but spread by her very presence. It was infectious, and when she left our firm to move to Ventura, greatly missed. 
-Paul Murphy, Murphy Rosen & Meylan, LLP                                

I saw Kimberley every day for about a year when we practiced in the same firm. My first impression - which I never lost was that she was too nice to be an attorney, but too smart not to be one, and since we always seem to be short of attorneys who have both traits, I thought she'd be very successful. We befriended each other over our love of animals. We bantered over our differing tastes in music. I always envied how close she was to her family...I always expected that she would become a star in the local legal community, and I looked forward to watching that happen. My sadness is a drop in the bucket compared to the grief that her family and closest friends must feel, but it's incomprehensible that she's not here any more.
- Will Tomlinson, Attorney