Karen has a breadth of experience as a civil and commercial barrister. 

She has worked on diverse matters including commercial and contract law, building and construction, defamation, equity and trusts, property, torts, trade practices and deceased estates.  She has appeared as a junior barrister in trials in the Supreme and County Courts of Victoria and has advised and appeared in these Courts as well as the Federal Court and Magistrates' Court unled.

Some cases of significance in which Karen has appeared since signing the Bar Roll, include:

• Supreme Court: Construction - acted for a construction subcontractor (led by Toby Shnookal QC) in a dispute concerning the construction of the Eastern Treatment Plant (settled 2015).
• Supreme Court trial: Property - partition of land and equitable estoppel (led by Carolyn Sparke QC) (settled during trial 2014).
• County Court trial: Equity - setting aside a gift - undue influence and special disadvantage (led by Mark Robins QC) (settled during trial 2013).
• Fulton Hogan Construction Pty Limited v Grenadier Manufacturing Pty Ltd (in liq) & Ors [2012] VSC 358 (Led by Paul Hayes of Counsel): 23 day Supreme Court trial – Negligence: causation as to the failure of bridge coating.  Damages: calculation of economic loss and proportionate liability.
• Fulton Hogan Construction Pty Limited v (No 2) Grenadier Manufacturing Pty Ltd (in liq) & Ors [2012] VSC 569 (Appeared unled): Application for interest and costs: calderbank offer, bullock/sanderson orders, issue by issue costs and apportionment of costs between defendants where concurrent wrongdoers.

Before coming to the Bar, Karen was a solicitor at Mallesons Stephen Jaques (now King & Wood Mallesons) and prior to that, Russell Kennedy.

At Mallesons, Karen worked on general commercial litigation matters including large and complex construction and contract disputes. Karen also advised companies in the mining, banking, gas supply, telecommunications and financial services industries on emissions trading and greenhouse gas and energy reporting.

At Russell Kennedy, Karen worked on a variety of matters, including banking and finance (including conversion and enforcement of securities), contract disputes, coronial, defamation, sports disputes (alleged doping infringements), torts and trade practices (misleading and deceptive conduct).  As a solicitor, Karen drafted pleadings and ran trials in the Supreme Court and arbitrations in the Court of Arbitration for Sport (including an appeal) and instructed in interlocutory applications in the Federal, Supreme and County Courts.

Karen is available to appear, to advise and draw pleadings.