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Karen Mathis
Karen Mathis
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Karen Mathis

American Bar Association

Denver, CO USA

"If you have passion for something, there's not such a thing as a 40-hour workweek."

Career Roadmap

Karen's work combines: Law, Non-Profit Organizations, and Upholding a Cause and Belief

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Day In The Life

Lawyer/President

I work to improve the legal profession by promoting ethical standards and reducing bias in the justice system.

Skills & Education

Here's the path I took:

  • High School

  • Bachelor's Degree

  • Graduate Degree

    Law

    University of Colorado Boulder

Life & Career Milestones

My path in life has been direct

  • 1.

    When she was growing up, girls had very few choices: you could be a stay-at-home mom, a nurse, a teacher, or a nun.

  • 2.

    At the age of 12, she decided she didn't want to do any of those things: she wanted to be a lawyer.

  • 3.

    Went to college and got an education degree; spent some time teaching, then went to law school.

  • 4.

    No one in her family had ever graduated from college, but once she got to law school, she realized she'd found "the love of her life."

  • 5.

    Says you manage a golf game not by thinking about all 18 holes, but by focusing on the hole you're on and the two coming up.

  • 6.

    In that vein, she tries to operate with a five-year plan because she doesn't think it makes sense to plan beyond that.

  • 7.

    Says the law profession isn't always accepting of women, but "it's easier to walk out a glass door than to keep bumping your head on a glass ceiling."

  • 8.

    One employer wasn't matching her needs, so she left and formed her own practice; was able to take on the cases she wanted, hire more women.