Profiled by Crain’s as “brilliant, meticulous,” and a “fierce litigator,” Karen L. Giffen is known for taking complicated matters to trial. Her preparation for trial involves deep dives into diverse subject areas from aviation to bridge design. With over thirty years of experience, Karen focuses her practice on business, employment, securities, financial services and premises liability litigation for Fortune 500 and other corporate clients.

Prior to joining Perez Morris in 2022, Karen was managing partner of women-owned law firm Giffen & Kaminski. Along with co-founder Kerin Kaminski, Karen founded the Cleveland firm in 2004 to handle business litigation, employment litigation and counseling, tort and insurance defense, financial services litigation, and investigations. In addition, Karen worked for ten years as a Field Examiner for the National Labor Relations Board, an experience that ignited her interest in the law.

Karen enjoys helping those in need of legal representation through her work with the Legal Aid Society of Cleveland, where she served as President, Treasurer and Board Member. An advocate for diversity, equity and inclusion, Karen is an active member of the National Association of Minority and Women Owned Law Firms, where she served as Treasurer and as a member of the organization’s Board of Directors. She frequently speaks on employment law and general litigation topics for organizations such as the Association of Corporate Counsel and the Cleveland-Marshall College of Law.

Outside of the law, Karen enjoys traveling and digital photography, as well as spending time with her border collie and three cats.