Karen Evans

Sponsored by RebuttalPR

Congratulations on your recent verdict – can you tell us a little more about that case?

It was a very hard-fought case involving a 23-year-old who slipped and fell on black ice and suffered a knee dislocation. Because of delays in care over 24 hours, she ended up with an above-the-knee amputation.  She's a mother of two, and you know, it changes your life to live your life with one leg.

It was an all-female trial team on our side, including my co-counsel, Rabia Abdullah and Kayann Chambers. And all our paralegals, my tech people, everyone was female on our side. Everyone on the other side was male and so was the judge. It felt like an uphill battle, and it was a battle at every stage of the litigation from the start to the very last day. We were very proud of the result we obtained for that client.

Does your approach change a little bit when you know you're up against an all-male defense team?

 In this kind of work, it's often against men. That wasn't anything new, but it was just the optics of it when we sat in the courtroom, all the men and all the women.

So it was evident there and in some of the comments. One of our jurors was a female who was breastfeeding, so she needed to breastfeed every two hours. It was interesting to see the chuckles and "Oh, it's that time again," and it was just like they were making fun of it. And at the beginning, they were saying, "Well, why does she need to do that so often?" So that really highlighted the difference in the two sides even further.

I saw that you're a registered nurse as well. Can you tell us about your transition from being in the medical field to specializing in personal injury law?

I was a nurse for probably 10 years before I became a lawyer. My nursing career was mostly in the Air Force, and I loved being an Air Force nurse. But nursing is extraordinarily hard work. It's physically challenging and demanding, and it's also very stressful mentally and emotionally. You're dealing with folks who are catastrophically injured and their families, and you want the best for them. Physically, it's very hard work. I also understood that I was doing it in a vacuum in the sense that because I was in the military and I was an officer, I was accorded more respect than you ordinarily would get as a nurse. After about five years, I realized this is not something I want to do for the rest of my life.

So I was thinking about going to medical school, but I didn't want to be in school for another 8-10 years. I went to a CLE, or what we call CLEs, but a continuing nursing education course, that was taught by these two lawyers. And no disrespect to those two lawyers, but I said to myself, “well, if those two jokers can be lawyers, I know I can be a lawyer. Let me figure out how you do the darn thing.” And so that sort of set me on the course of finding out how to become a lawyer. And I think I made the right choice. It really suits my personality. It allows me to take care of other people, which is something that I really like to do.

I think it's something that's sort of in the core of most women, you know, the need to nurture. But I just want to help people. And so I was able to do that as a nurse and as a lawyer. I'm certainly helping people and making a difference in people's lives. So, it seemed like something that I'm well-suited to do.

What inspired you to specialize on the plaintiff side?

When I went to law school, and I decided I wanted to do litigation, I actually did healthcare work. I was on the side of the defendants. I represented nurses and doctors because I was under the false impression that there were a lot of frivolous lawsuits out there. And I wanted to protect the reputation of these nurses and doctors who were falsely accused, so to speak. And then, as I did defense work, I started to see the underbelly of it. I started to realize that doctors and healthcare providers are just like everybody else: there are good people and bad people. There are good doctors, good nurses, bad doctors, and bad nurses. I realized that nurses and doctors had all the help they needed. That really is the plight of the individuals who are injured who need representation, because I started to see things that just were not fair.

Then I realized that what I was doing was trying to work justice as opposed to representing my clients, the bad doctors. Because the reward for good work is more work, I started to get more difficult cases, where clearly healthcare providers had done something wrong and caused harm to patients. We were defending those cases sometimes successfully. I couldn't sleep like that.

It started to make me question whether or not I was doing the right thing. Then I had a case where I knew I was on the wrong side of it. The doctor was a pig of a person. I was making decisions that were probably not in his best interest but were right. And so I knew I needed to find other work, get on the right side of things. So that's what led me to plaintiffs' work, which has fulfilled my soul, and it also allowed me to do the thing that I feel like I'm here to do, which is to help other people.

Can you tell us about a case that had a significant impact on you professionally or personally, and what lessons you took away from that?

 All my cases are kind of special to me, but there are a couple that I take pride in, not necessarily because of the amount of settlement or jury verdict, but because of the outcome for the people. I had a case where it was a young mother who died. She had five children, and she died during childbirth. So that left her grandmother and her mother to take care of these five kids. One of the kids was a teenage boy, and this kid was like an electronics whiz, but he didn't really have the right guidance. He was stealing car radios out of people's cars and then selling them to other people and putting them into their cars. I was like, “You know, you could get a real job doing that and not risk going to jail. Let's get a GED, and you could work at it.” He actually got a job working at Radio Shack, and we helped him get his GED. So I know I changed his life. And it's just little things like that where we've been able to make a difference in people's lives. And that may seem like such a small thing, but just to see how that changed his life and the life of his family, that's the beautiful thing.

I have another story about a young woman whose son had a birth injury, and we were able to be very successful for them. So she keeps me informed about him and how he’s doing. That's two of many clients who still tell me about how they're doing. Just to see the good and the change in their lives, that's what just drives me to do the best that I can with all these clients, because we don't know how good we have it in many ways. You know, we get up, complain about different things, but really, in the big scheme of things, probably anybody that's going to see this or hear this, you're probably doing okay. You haven't faced some of the challenges that our clients have faced, and just the things that you don't know because you don't know.

How do you approach building and maintaining trust with your clients, especially when there's an emotionally charged case or a tough fact pattern?

It's hard, but I think it really starts from the very first time you meet clients. You have to be honest with them and forthright about the nature of their claims, about what you can do, what you can't do, what reasonable expectations are, and what unreasonable expectations are. And then be honest with them at all stages: good, bad, and otherwise.

I am a kind person, but I'm perhaps not a gentle person in the sense that I kind of tell it the way it is. And I find that when I try to wordsmith things, I'm not as clear as I could be. After doing this for over 30 years, I just tell people the way it is, "Hey, look, that is not going to happen. This is going to happen." And I try to keep them informed at every stage when something matters. We all fall short sometimes because people have expectations about things, or sometimes you can't fulfill all obligations, but when I'm candid with them, and I keep them updated about what's happening, we build that trust.

What are some of the most significant challenges you've faced as a female attorney in this field, and what strategies have you employed to overcome them?

That's a question I get asked a lot. And honestly, for me, I'm not sure whether it's because I'm a black female or because I'm a female. And I think both of those things present challenges, but it's like any otherwhere I r profession: you just have to meet it. And I am reminded of what Oprah said, where you don't just have to be good at what you do, but be excellent. And so I strive to do the best work that I can. I strive to be honest and fair with other people in my dealings with them. And that's how I meet the challenges. And where there are circumstances, and I've met them, where you know something's wrong; you know you're being treated differently, what are you going to do? You can't really call it out because nobody's going to say, "You're right, I'm sorry." Or "you're right, and I don't care." So, I just keep trudging on. I persist in perseverance. You just have to keep going. You have to keep going through all of it, because otherwise, if you get stuck in the mire and try to figure out what was wrong with me? You know, why are they treating me like this? That's a waste of your time. You cannot control other people and how they feel. But what you can do is control your emotions. You can control the things that you can control and just be prepared. Just be prepared to deal with stuff.

I had a recent experience where I sort of had an understanding of what preparation means. It doesn't just mean knowing what your case is. It really means also being prepared, you know, obviously with the case law and the statutes and things like that, but having thought a little bit about what you're going into so that you can be prepared for the circumstances. When I go down in the southern parts of Virginia, I come ready to be treated in a certain kind of way. So I'm not surprised that people are treating me like I'm the court reporter asking me those kinds of questions. So I'm able to smile and say, "I'm the lawyer. I represent Ms. So-and-so. Thank you very much for your politeness." So I come prepared for that.

And then, when I'm not met with equal politeness, then I'm myself. I can be very direct and make it clear about how things will be done with me and that I am to be accorded with respect. I believe that you have to demand respect and command that if people don't give it to you, you have to respond to that.

Are there any mentors or role models who have been pivotal in your career? How have they influenced your professional path?

I have a role model, and in fact, I'm in my home office here today, and I have a board with a letter that he wrote me. It was from my very first job as a defense lawyer, and it was an old white man. I was very impressed with him because he was the lawyer in a case that I had read about in law school, Canterbury v. Spence. And so I was like, “I'm working with lawyers, actually, in our textbook. How cool is that?”

But he told me something. And I didn't know he was my champion. I did not know that until I left that firm, but he told me, he said, "Karen, you can't be me. I'm an old white man. I can go into court and say things that you could never say and get away with. That's just the way it is. But being you is good enough anyway. Just be you." And it sort of freed me to have an honest conversation with somebody like him, who told me that I was good enough just as I was. And that made all the difference in the way that I approach things and just sort of an outlook because I was trying to be him or lawyers like him because I thought that was the way. I had no experience with what female lawyers did. I had no experience with what lawyers did because I'm the first lawyer in my family that I know about. Maybe there are others, but the ones in my family, I'm the one.

And so I had no role model. So I was trying to dress, look, be, fake, you know, the way they were. And he told me I didn't have to do that and that I could be myself. And you know, you know that you hear that, but to hear someone else say it, someone particularly that you respect, it means more. And then he wrote me letters, not emails, but letters. I have the last one he wrote me on my board here in my office, where he told me that he had been following my career over the years. And he saw a recent announcement about something, an award that I'd received, and he just wanted to reach out and tell me that he was so proud of me, and he knew it from day one. So it's that sort of thing. And many of my champions have been men who have seen something in me. 

I also have a friend now, she's my friend and my partner. But I didn't meet her and female lawyers until I was 10 years into my career. And it was really Sandra Robinson who really kind of took me in and showed me what it is to be a plaintiff lawyer, to be a female plaintiff lawyer, and to do it at a very high level. We've been friends for 20-something years now.

But women have not always been kind to me and willing to share things. I know we have this sisterhood, and until I really got involved in the Society, I had not really dealt with women because there's been something, I don't know what it is, maybe it's competition. I don't know what it is, but I've noticed a shift, probably I'd say the last 10 years, where women seem to be kinder and gentler to other women and to be more encouraging and to be more supportive.

So anybody who reaches out to me, I always try to follow up. And if I didn't follow up with you, that's because I must have missed your message. Because I try to be that person who, if you need something, and I've been doing this for over 30 years now, if I can be helpful to you, call me. I will talk to anybody. That's a priority for me.

How has your own mentorship experience impacted how you mentor younger attorneys?

I try to be open and available to them and really encourage them to reach out to me for the questions that they're afraid to ask anybody else. I'm not going to judge you because I remember what it is like not to have someone that you felt comfortable with that you could reach out to. I hired a young woman who wants to be a med mal lawyer, that's what I do. And she is a very fine, practical lawyer, such a hard worker. And I chose her because she had the right work ethic and the commitment to our clients and the kind of work that we do, and so I chose her to train her and to be a med mal lawyer, and she's very grateful for it.

I just try to show by example, make sure that she's involved in everything. I just try to be inclusive and try to tell her as much as I can and show her, let her participate and to see, and to do and to meet people. Relationships are key. I can't say that enough. Relationships are key. And I have great relationships with other lawyers, with my expert witnesses, people that I encounter, and vendors. I just think relationships are so important. And I try to treat everybody with the respect that I feel like I should be accorded and that they should be accorded.

What specific advice would you give to women attorneys who are just starting out in this area of the law?

Work hard. Find someone that you can trust to seek professional advice from and just run things by. But I think at the end of the day, it really is about work ethic, because this is hard work that we do, and it matters to the people that we represent. So you have to put in time. I find the law, particularly litigation, to be a jealous taskmaster; it requires a lot of time and a lot of shifting of responsibilities and balance.

I've been married, let's see, we got married in 1982. And it's not been easy, but it has been such a rewarding thing. My husband's my best friend. I've known him since college, and so he went through law school with me, and that was a stressor on our relationship, but we came out on the other end, and it's good to have a partner. And my husband was a teacher, not another lawyer and not a real high-powered professional, if you will. My husband was a teacher and a high school coach. And so now he's able to travel with me when I have to travel for business and things like that. But I think it's important to have somebody to go through life with, you know, whoever that is, it just makes the whole journey much, much richer, more fulfilled. And the ups and downs, just to have someone that's constantly there and rooting for you. And this month-long trial, just finished, you know, I found myself forgetting things, you know, we were only 40 minutes from our house. And so every week my husband had to bring me something that I'd forgotten, you know, pantyhose, spray, you know, whatever it was, just something. And the sweetest thing that really sort of kept me going over those long, long, long weeks was, you know, just little notes and just words of encouragement every day.

So I guess if I could sum it up in three parts, I would say one, is that young lawyers have to learn their craft. So work hard and understand what hard work means. Two is to find someone that you can trust to run things by and to talk over the challenges or the successes that you're having in your career. And three, don't go through it alone. Find a partner, and it doesn't have to be another lawyer. I meet all these young women who have all these lists and requirements for their mate and their partner. I, however, just think you have to find your person, somebody who cares about you and that you care about and that you want to spend time with. Most of us make enough money and have enough success on our own right, and individuals who don't need anybody to take care of them that kind of way, but you need the other kind of care.

Why are organizations like the Society of Women Trial Lawyers important to you, and how have they impacted your work?

I think organizations like this are good because we need each other. It's that women lawyers are different than men lawyers. And it took me a while to recognize that and to appreciate that difference. And this is a space where you can be safe to share your successes, to share your failures, and to also get that substance for your soul that gives you the ability to continue to persevere and to fight the challenges that we face daily on this. Because you know we're in an adversarial occupation where you know you're constantly against somebody else, that's the world that we live in. And that's a stressor in and of itself. And so these organizations, women's organizations, the Society in particular, is the organization that I feel I belong to. As I said, I've not been one to join women's groups because of the relationships that I had, but this group feels different to me. It feels authentic. It feels real. It has people who have the same goals and the same relationship with excellence that I have because they want to be excellent. They want to inspire other women. That's something that I wanted to get behind and be a part of. And so that's why I think the Society is important because I think it's a little different than other women's groups.

Looking back on your career, what accomplishments are you most proud of, and what future goals are you still working towards?

That is a tough question. I look back over my career, and I'm just amazed and grateful about the journey that I've had, the people I've met, the lives I've changed, and the lives that have affected me. I've had clients who have changed me and the way that I approach clients.

So those relationships, the experiences, the successes, the failures that I've experienced, I'm really just grateful for having had this. 30 years ago, I would not have charted this path for myself. I didn't know that I was going to be where I am today. I'm grateful to be at The Cochran Firm because they've given me wings that allow me to soar as high as I'm able to go. In t recent $18 million verdict, we spent a lot of money preparing for that case. And there are not many firms that have the resources, both people and financials, to go toe to toe with big institutions; we were able to do that in spades. So I'm very grateful for that and the wings that The Cochran Firm has given me and the opportunities that they have afforded me to grow professionally, also as a person and as a leader. To see leadership from a very high level and to recognize that I am a leader. I've always known I'm bossy, but I think that's different than being a true leader.

And I've learned how to lead. I've learned some techniques about that. And so, I'm just really grateful for the opportunity to be a lawyer at the Cochran firm and to carry on the legacy of Johnny Cochran. I'm surprised how often it comes up and where it comes from. And the greatest compliment I was paid most recently was something that I did in the trial, inspired someone who said, "My God, you are just like Johnny Cochran," and I was like, "Well, I'm sure that's not true." But I took the sentiment to heart, and it really meant a lot to me.