Karen Porter is a partner at Walsworth, where she represents clients in general liability, premises liability, product liability, and toxic tort matters. She participates in all aspects of litigation, including case management, discovery, law and motion, and trial preparation.
Karen has extensive experience working on complex litigation and transactional matters in premises liability, product liability, landlord-tenant disputes, contract disputes, labor and employment, employee benefits, and real estate. Prior to joining Walsworth, Karen represented a wide range of corporate clients, including insurance companies and their insureds, in matters involving intellectual property infringement, personal injury with complex medical causation, aviation and aerospace, catastrophic losses, and employment disputes. She has worked as an attorney throughout the western United States and is admitted to practice in California, Nevada, Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming.
Early in her legal career, Karen also served as a summer extern for the Advocate for Widows and Orphans with International Children’s Legal Aid in Uganda. She assisted in writing more than 300 wills for HIV-positive Ugandan men and women and counseled thousands of Ugandan natives about their legal rights.
- Rains, et al. v. Barber – Prevailed in two consecutive original writ petitions to the Colorado Supreme Court to defend and uphold the jury’s verdict entered in favor of the estate of a deceased pilot in a case involving a multi-fatality aviation accident.
- Secured a multi-million dollar settlement on behalf of a client in a case involving a fatal accident, where she served as second chair at trial.
- Won a multi-million dollar jury verdict in favor of the client in a case involving a building collapse.
- Won a defense jury verdict in favor of the client in a multi-million dollar patent infringement case.
- Secured a favorable outcome for a corporate client in a matter involving a catastrophic loss at a liquid natural gas plant; directed the investigation, including coordinating a team of experts and advising the Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board.
- Successfully defended a corporate client in a personal injury action which required extensive study of pediatric heart conditions and coordinating a team of medical experts in the fields of cardiology, pulmonology, and life care.
Professional Affiliations
- California Bar Association
- Nevada Bar Association
- Colorado Bar Association
- Utah Bar Association
- Wyoming Bar Association
Karen graduated Cum Laude from J. Reuben Clark Law School, where she was a member of the National Moot Court Team, a Regional Champion in the ABA National Appellate Advocacy Competition, and a Finalist in the Rex E. Lee Moot Court Competition. She also was a teaching and research assistant for the law school legal research and writing department for multiple years.
After law school, Karen took some time to travel, which included a several-week drive down the coastline of Nicaragua and Costa Rica searching for surf breaks.
As part of her multi-jurisdictional practice, Karen serves as a Trustee and Fellow of the Colorado Bar Foundation, the charitable arms of the Colorado Bar Association, which provides grant funds to hundreds of non-profit legal organizations throughout the State of Colorado on an annual basis.
In her spare time, Karen enjoys spending time with her husband and two children, traveling abroad, running, surfing, and snowboarding.