Karen brings a broad range of skills and experience to the Bar and accepts briefs across a wide range of commercial matters, including intellectual property, contractual disputes, leasing, real property, building and construction, insolvency and general commercial litigation. Karen is also a Registered Trade Marks Attorney, Nationally Accredited Mediator and lecturer in contract law at Melbourne Law School.

Karen accepts briefs in both advisory and appearance work. She regularly appears in courts and tribunals and provides practical, commercially focused advice to individuals, businesses and organisations. Drawing on her previous careers in management consulting and real estate development, Karen combines legal expertise with first-hand commercial experience.

Karen holds a Juris Doctor from Monash University, where she was awarded the Postgraduate Prize for Intellectual Property, a Master of Business Administration from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, Chicago, and a Bachelor of Science in Finance and Marketing from the University of Oregon. She is also admitted to practise as a lawyer in California.

In addition to her work at the Bar, Karen lectures in contract law in the Juris Doctor program at Melbourne Law School.

Karen also practises in sports law. She is a member of the Australian and New Zealand Sports Law Association (ANZSLA) and the National Sports Tribunal Legal Assistance Panel. Her sports law practice includes disciplinary proceedings, governance disputes, selection matters and advisory work for sporting organisations and participants.

Karen has a longstanding involvement in sport. She is a competitive tennis player. She also worked as a Tennis Australia official for almost a decade, serving as a Chair Umpire and Line Umpire and Court Supervisor at tournaments ranging from local events through to the Australian Open. She subsequently served as Chair of Tennis Officials Australia, the national representative body representing tennis officials throughout Australia.

Karen has served as a director and office holder on a number of legal, sporting and charitable boards, including as Chair of Tennis Officials Australia, Secretary/Treasurer of the University of Oregon Foundation, and a Director of Youthlaw. Her governance experience complements her legal practice and provides practical insight into the challenges faced by boards, sporting organisations and commercial entities.

Karen has a longstanding commitment to community legal services and continues to volunteer as a lawyer at Fitzroy Legal Service.

Karen has lived and worked extensively in the United States, Australia, New Zealand, China and Hong Kong and is a dual citizen of Australia and the United States.

Karen read with Susan Gatford and her senior mentor is Colin Golvan.