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 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!!!