Karen Ann Halverson

Karen Halverson defended me in a parole matter, and while she was willing to meet in person, the rest of the experience was disappointing and unnecessarily expensive. Billing: She charges $425/hour, but billed that rate for basic administrative tasks a secretary should handle—like an $85 charge jus...t to reply to an email about billing. She also charged a full hour for an initial consultation I never agreed would be billable, before I had even decided to hire her. In the end, she cost twice as much as two other attorneys who do the same type of work. Preparation: I didn’t receive her written brief until the day of the hearing, and was never shown the exhibits beforehand. Because of this, she missed a key defense argument I could have given her if she had shared the evidence. Afterward: Once the hearing was over, she basically disappeared. It took over a year—and a complaint to the bar association—to get the leftover retainer back. Overall Impression: Karen is clearly skilled in the law, but the lack of preparation and overbilling weren’t worth it. If she now has administrative support, use her if you can afford it. If she’s still flying solo, I’d steer clear.

I hired Ms. Halverson to handle a Communication with a Minor for Immoral Purposes investigation and later charge. After what I assumed was a thorough case review, she told me that the State didn’t have any evidence because they were unable to access my phone, and that they needed the alleged victi...m to testify. Unfortunately, neither of those things were true. And if she had bothered to actually read the police report, she would have known that. I live out of state, so when I was charged, she had to appear at my arraignment without me being physically present. The probable cause statement contained flat out libel, with no supporting evidence other than the statements of an admitted drug addict and mentally ill liar, which Ms. Halverson did not object to. Additionally, the State also issued a ridiculous and unnecessary no-contact order which falsely insinuated that I had stalked or harassed the alleged victim. Not only did Ms. Halverson fail to object to that order, but she told me I needed to sign it and return it immediately, without explaining the ramifications of doing so. It wasn’t until several months later that I discovered just how serious those ramifications were. While reading through the paperwork preparing for trial, I discovered that the no-contact order contained a “no firearms” provision. I have been licensed to carry a firearm in 36 states for over 30 years, so needless to say, I was quite surprised and disturbed by this. So I called Ms. Halverson and asked her to have the NCO quashed. After she charged me to do so, she completely failed. A judge agreed that the firearms provision was unjustified and ordered that it be removed. Problem is Ms. Halverson didn’t see to it that actually happened; there are two boxes on the form regarding firearms, and the clerk only unchecked one. So through her negligence, she put me at risk of arrest for nearly four years. If that’s not “ineffective counsel” (or worse), I don’t know what is. But wait, there’s more. She told me she needed an additional $1500 to hire a private investigator to locate the alleged victim so she could interview her. What did that PI do for $1500 you ask? She called the alleged victim’s mother on the phone and asked if she knew where she was so she could talk to her. The same mother who called the police, plastered my name all over the internet, and showed up at my house with two thugs illegally and surreptitiously recording my housemate, threatening me, and accusing me of kidnapping her daughter! When I told her that was “a really dumb thing to do”, she quit – less than seven days before trial. In Washington State, employers can’t reject you from jobs because of your criminal record, but they can if they think you’re dangerous or violent, and that’s exactly what the two documents Ms. Halverson allowed into the record falsely imply. I know this, because I applied for a job, and when they discovered the charge, they sent someone to the courthouse to pull the file. A file which is publicly accessible to anyone with a computer for 50 cents. Ms. Halverson allowed the state to slander me on the record, got my firearms rights taken away over a non-violent and consensual conversation with someone whom I believed was of the age of consent (which the State does not dispute). Oh, and when the parents of the alleged victim plastered my name and photos all over the internet, got me fired from my six-figure job, and told their friends to “destroy my life”, she told me I couldn’t sue them, because it would “make things worse” (as if that were possible). And in one final blow, to add insult to injury, she had the nerve to send me a $700 bill for quitting. When you pay someone thousands of dollars to do a job and they screw things up more than they were beforehand, one would think that they would apologize, issue a full refund and do their best to clean up their mess. And I believe that’s exactly what Ms. Halverson should do in my case.

Attorney was mediocre in performance, drug the case out so long she almost let statue of limitations expire. Then had to file a law suit to keep from losing all chance at recovery. Then her negotiation skills were subpar, and I ended up with a very poor settlement. In the end I settled so I could ...end the thing once and for all and be done with my own attorney and her incompetence. Then I had to argue with her to get my own money. She kept telling me she would mail the check on X date, then did not do it. Then would give me another date, oops not then either, then gave me a bad tracking number. Completely unsatisfactory all the way around.

I hired Karen for a personal injury case. At first she seemed caring and engaged. Once she had to start working my case that changed and I felt like I was a bother to her. Each interaction I felt like it was too much to ask for information on my case. She was short with me, would not provide infor...mation I asked for, or would just not answer questions I asked. Her only communication method is email. Calls are not answered. She let my case go so long the statue of limitations almost expired and then a lawsuit had to be filed, when it could of and should have been settled before it came to that. In the end I accepted far less than I should have because I was done dealing with my own attorney. Then the surprise expenses popped up, and she never did provide copies of the bills to substantiate the expenses she claimed to have paid. I am sure the other side is the only one who was happy with her performance. Overall it was a very disappointing experience and I felt she provided subpar representation. In the end, even getting her to hand over my small settlement was a battle, even though she had it in her possession, she kept giving me different dates she would mail the check to me, only to have it not show up, and then be given another excuse why it was not sent. Very unprofessional.

I had an issue arise that needed the attention and quick action of a reputable attorney. Karen did not disappoint. She dealt with my issue expeditiously and did not waste any time. I went through a divorce about 10 years ago and I have had my share of dealings with attorneys. She is, in my opinion, r...egardless of the type of attorney you are in need of, one of the THE best in Snohomish County. Can't thank Karen enough for getting this issue dismissed which has allowed me to move on with my life. THANK YOU!!!