Karen L. Levine
PRACTICE CONCENTRATION
- Commercial Litigation
- Domestic Relations and Divorce
BIOGRAPHY
Karen L. Levine has been a partner in the firm since 1993. Although Karen has represented a wide range of clients including business corporations, institutions, and even the United States Government, her practice centers around handling disputes between individuals – primarily entrepreneurs – in both the business and personal arenas.
In the business arena, she still handles a broad range of legal matters, but concentrates on what could be described as business divorces, i.e., fights between partners, disputes between directors and officers of close corporations, shareholder disputes and other disputes between individuals where conflict has arisen out of a once close working relationship … litigation between individuals and/or entities whose business dealings have deteriorated to the point where they are seeking court intervention. One example is a case in which Karen recently obtained a $22 million commercial arbitration award in favor of her client – an investor – against the manager of an investment fund. Her victory, which was confirmed by the Circuit Court of Cook County, was the subject of an article in Crain's Chicago Business.
As for the personal arena, Karen has handled many complex, multi-million dollar divorce cases for high net worth individuals. She brings to these cases a business litigator's perspective and the benefit of her extensive experience in valuation. Her experience in commercial matters enables her to quickly grasp the types of complex business issues that frequently arise in cases involving large estates. Lastly, as a prior Certified Social Worker in Illinois and a prior member of the Academy of Certified Social Workers (ACSW), Karen truly understands the emotional strain of a divorce and the importance of supporting her clients with close, personal attention through this difficult time.
She also is experienced in litigation related to trusts and estates. She recently handled a four-week jury trial in the Probate Division of the Circuit Court of Cook County, successfully defending a claim brought against the executor of a decedent's estate.
Karen is a member of the Board of Governors for the Chicago Council of Lawyers, and on the Board of Directors for Jewish Child and Family Services. She currently is an adjunct professor with Northwestern University Law School, teaching trial advocacy. Before joining Novack and Macey, she clerked for Justice Seymour Simon of the Illinois Supreme Court from 1986 to 1987. Karen was born in New York in 1952, has one daughter, and currently resides in Chicago.
EDUCATION
- Grinnell College (B.A. 1974) with Honors
- University of Chicago School of Social Service Administration (M.A. 1976)
- Northwestern University Law School (J.D. 1986) Cum Laude, Order of the Coif; articles and symposium editor, Northwestern University Law Review
BAR ADMISSIONS
- Illinois
- Trial Bar of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois
- Federal District Court for the Northern District of Illinois
- United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit