Practice Admissions: California

Kiara Gebhart is a partner in Shulman Hodges & Bastian’s Orange County office. She is a member of the firm’s Litigation Department and focuses her practice on business, commercial and bankruptcy litigation matters including areas such as corporate director and officer liability, insurance coverage, legal malpractice, accounting malpractice, employment, unfair competition, real estate and business torts. Ms. Gebhart’s experience includes all aspects of pretrial and trial preparation. She has successfully written and argued several significant motions in both state and federal court and recently second-chaired a four month bench trial of breach of fiduciary duty claims on a corporation’s behalf against former officers and directors and obtained an $8.3 million verdict, plus $1 million punitive damage award.

Ms. Gebhart graduated cum laude from the University of San Diego with a B.A. in Psychology and a double minor in Biology and Philosophy in 2005. Ms. Gebhart earned her law degree in 2008 from the University of San Diego School of Law where she received highest honors in both legal writing and negotiation. She also received the American Jurisprudence Award in Bankruptcy.

Ms. Gebhart is admitted to practice law in all courts of the State of California. She is also a member of the bar of the United States District Courts for the Central and Southern Districts of California.

Ms. Gebhart is a member of several community and professional groups. She is currently a member of the Board of Directors of the Orange County Chapter of the Federal Bar Association and is a member of the Business Litigation Section of the Orange County Bar Association, the Association of Business Trial Lawyers and the Orange County Bankruptcy Forum. Ms. Gebhart is also an active supporter of several charities, including the American Heart Association, and is a past member of their Executive Leadership Team for the American Heart Association / American Stroke Association Orange County Heart Run 2014.