Justice Law Collaborative Announces Merger with KBM Law

JUSTICE LAW COLLABORATIVE ANNOUNCES MERGER

WITH KBM LAW

100% Female-Owned and Led Plaintiffs Firm Gains Nationwide Reach;

Opens West Coast Office Led by Karen Barth Menzies 

BOSTON, Mass. and LOS ANGELES (June 26, 2025)  – Justice Law Collaborative (JLC) today announced its merger with California-based KBM Law, forming an extended, bi-coastal presence for the firm with primary headquarters in Massachusetts. The new West Coast office, located in Los Angeles, will be helmed by KBM Law founder Karen Barth Menzies, transforming the newly amalgamated entity into one of the only one-hundred-percent (100%) female-owned and led plaintiffs law firms in America. The firm will continue to operate as Justice Law Collaborative, LLC.  

Karen Barth Menzies has dedicated nearly three decades of her legal career advocating for women’s health causes and representing survivors of sexual assault. She joins Justice Law Collaborative partners: Paula Bliss, Kimberly Dougherty, Kelly Guagenty, and Laura Yaeger to round out the firm’s all-female partnership and leadership team. Along with Menzies, JLC welcomes KBM Law paralegal Magan Ennis, and client advocate, Joan Cooper.

Co-founded in 2021 by Paula Bliss and Kimberly Dougherty, Justice Law Collaborative is a trauma-informed litigation practice with equal dedication to social justice and legislative reform. In just four years, the firm has gained visibility for hundreds of legal victories against high-profile entities harboring physical and sexual abusers and medical and pharmaceutical operations that have caused egregious harm to consumers. Most recently, JLC has sounded the alarm around alleged consumer fraud and breach of warranty associated with reproductive rights, specifically those related to the sale of a genetic test called preimplantation genetic testing for aneuploidy (PGT-A), used during the IVF process. The firm has also escalated ongoing legal and advocacy efforts to dismantle the “troubled teen industry” and human trafficking rings. 

“Having worked closely with Karen and her team for years, we recognized how much more we can do by bridging our two entities,” said JLC partner and firm co-founder Kim Dougherty. “Karen’s deep familiarity with high-profile sexual assault and abuse litigation extends our own and will be of tremendous benefit to the survivors we represent. Karen is not just a fierce legal advocate and attorney; she’s a warrior for women. We are honored to have her join our team.”

Since founding KBM Law, Barth Menzies has emerged as a national leader in representing survivors of sexual assault in high-profile cases against some of the music and entertainment industry's most notorious personalities. She is also the founder of Unsilenced Survivors, a community committed to amplifying the voices of sexual assault survivors, advocates, and allies. Through this forum, survivors tell their stories and advocates share avenues for support and legal remedy, all while raising awareness about the pervasiveness of sexual assault. She has created a safe space and a protected community in which women can discuss and inspire meaningful, societal change and broaden the collective understanding around sexual assault.  As a litigation leader, Barth Menzies has been appointed many times to top positions in mass tort lawsuits in both federal and state courts around the country.  Similar to the attorneys at JLC, Barth Menzies is known for her “advocacy beyond litigation”, fighting for justice and safety inside and outside of the courtroom.   

Dougherty and Bliss have collaborated with Barth Menzies on several cases, establishing both professional and personal ties, extending to membership in the all-female cover band, The Dissenters, in which Dougherty is a singer and Barth Menzies, the bassist. 

“We share a lengthy professional history and foundational belief that collaboration over competition breeds greater success,” said Barth Menzies. “With mutual respect and a shared commitment to client-centered advocacy, we believe that the best outcomes arise from listening deeply - to each other, to our colleagues, and most importantly, to our clients. I’m excited that we’re joining forces coast to coast!”

The expansion of Justice Law Collaborative to the West Coast closely follows firm recognition by Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly as a 2025 “Up in Coming” Law Firm, and the January merger with Yaeger Law. The added bench strength gained through the merger helped to advance the firm’s legal advocacy around institutional abuse and the “troubled teen industry” -  defined as a network of unregulated and unsupervised facilities across the country that proclaim to provide wellness and mental health support for teenagers and young adults. However, a slew of documentaries available on Netflix and other media platforms showcase an alternate reality. Survivors of these programs report relentless abuse, negligence, trauma, and in some cases, death of residents. Legislators, too, are meeting the moment by implementing the federal Stop Institutional Child Abuse Act. Others are writing and passing new laws to remove the veil beneath which traffickers and predators secretly operate.

 Justice Law Collaborative co-founder Paula Bliss is currently leading efforts to expose consumer fraud, specifically around the advertising and sale of preimplantation genetic testing for aneuploidy (PGT-A), a genetic test promoted and sold to individuals pursuing fertility treatments through the IVF process. She and partner Kelly Guagenty also recently filed a class action lawsuit against Nationwide Insurance, alleging unfair and deceptive business practices, fraud, and negligent misrepresentation in its pet insurance policies. 

“This has already been a year of immense growth for our firm,” shared Bliss.. “Our firm may be young, yet our combined decades of practice and reputations as attorneys precede us. The reach and impact of our specific casework has necessitated that we expand our presence, and the partnership with Karen and her team feels tailor-made. Her expertise is exactly what is needed, and our historic collaboration over the years makes this a natural progression for all.” 

About Justice Law Collaborative

Justice Law Collaborative (JLC), with offices in California and Massachusetts, embodies the highest level of professional, trauma-informed legal expertise in social justice and advocacy. Owned and led entirely by women, the firm has represented athletes abused by Olympic coach Larry Nassar, teenagers tormented by hostile, uncertified schools parading as therapy-based programs for troubled teens, and has represented consumers and patients harmed by corporate greed and negligence, specifically the pharmaceutical, reproductive medicine, and tobacco industries. JLC attorneys have extensive experience in pharmaceutical and medical device litigation, wrongful death, medical malpractice, reproductive rights, sexual assault and abuse, and personal injury cases. Additionally, the firm is dedicated to legislative reform, spearheading efforts to modify statutes of limitations and enact new laws to protect the innocent and to provide proper financial and judicial remedies to victims. Justice Law Collaborative was ranked a 2025 Best Law Firm by Best Lawyers®, and firm partners have been named to Massachusetts Super Lawyer® and Best Lawyers® lists for multiple, consecutive years. In January 2025, the firm completed a merger with Yaeger Law, adding Laura Yaeger to the firm's partnership, In June 2025, Justice Law Collaborative merged with KBM Law to become one of the only all-female-led plaintiffs firms in the country, with attorneys admitted to practice in multiple states including Massachusetts, California, Colorado, and Florida. More information about the firm and its far-reaching results can be found at: www.justicelawcollaborative.com. 

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Media contact: Wendy Agudelo; wendy@imageprofessors.com

JUNE 26, 2025