Karen Van Essen

ATTORNEY BIO

Karen Van Essen

	Karen Van Essen November 11, 2011 Associate Los Angeles, CA 213.443.7625 karen.vanessen@arentfox.com Karen is an associate in the Litigation Group. She represents clients in complex commercial disputes and white collar defense matters, and is developing focus on export control, trade regulation, and anti-corruption compliance. Karen has represented clients in matters related to the False Claims Act and Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. She has conducted internal corporate investigations and has defended clients under investigation by the United States Attorney’s Office and the California Attorney General’s Office. She recently has assisted in successfully defending a client in a high-profile case that was described by California’s then Attorney General Jerry Brown as the most significant public corruption case in the state’s history. Previous Work Prior to joining Arent Fox, Karen worked at a full service law firm in Portland, Oregon, where she handled commercial litigation matters. She also served as a judicial law clerk to the Honorable Milan D. Smith, Jr. of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Upon completing her law degree, Karen served as a judicial law clerk to the Honorable Michael W. Mosman of the United States District Court for the District of Oregon. While in law school, she served as a judicial extern to the Honorable Ann Aiken of the United States District Court for the District of Oregon. Before attending law school, Karen was an instructor and teaching fellow at the University of Oregon Department of Political Science, where she received her doctorate and master’s degree in that program. Publications, Presentations and Recognitions Senior Editor, Oregon Review of International Law Dissertation – Opacity in an Era of Transparency: The Politics of De Facto Nuclear Weapon States Life Beyond the Law Karen enjoys spending time with her family, playing tennis, and watching college football and hockey. Bar and Court Admissions California Bar Oregon Bar US District Court, District of Oregon US District Court, Central District of California US District Court, Southern District of California Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals Education University of Oregon , PhD University of Oregon School of Law , JD ( Order of the Coif ) University of Oregon , MS University of Chicago , MA University of Wyoming , BS	Practices Commercial Litigation International Trade White Collar & Investigations
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