Karen Porter is a Partner in the Firm’s Litigation Department, practicing in the Washington, D.C. office. Karen focuses on cross-border government and internal investigations as well as antitrust, corporate governance and compliance matters. She also represents clients in a wide range of high-profile, complex commercial litigation matters, including securities, class action and shareholder derivative litigations. She has experience managing sensitive, high-stakes regulatory and criminal matters–including interactions with senior management, board committees, external auditors and government regulators—as well as follow-on litigation. Karen also has experience advising senior officers and directors in global antitrust, money laundering and sanctions investigations. Karen was named to Global Investigations Review’s 2025 “Women in Investigations,” and has been recognized for multiple years on Euromoney’s Benchmark Litigation’s “40 & Under List,” which honors the top emerging talent in litigation.
Karen’s recent representations include:
- Global financial institution in proposed class action alleging conspiracy to fix prices in the Mexican bond market;
- Senior executive of cryptocurrency firm in DOJ, SEC and NYAG investigations and litigations relating to alleged securities and investment fraud, and alleged breaches of fiduciary duties;
- Global financial institution in regulatory investigation and settlement with the SEC regarding the institution’s anti-money laundering controls around suspicious activity investigation and reporting;
- A large multinational technology and infrastructure conglomerate in obtaining DOJ declination and dismissal of a qui tam complaint in a FCA matter;
- Former executives of Brazilian construction company Odebrecht in connection with DOJ investigation including testimony in the Polit trial;
- Global financial institution in spoofing settlement with CFTC, and related private civil litigation; and
- A financial services firm in connection with a review of certain disclosure controls.
Karen is a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation and a member of The American Law Institute. She earned her J.D., cum laude, from Duke University School of Law in 2012, where she received a Faculty Award for Outstanding Achievement in International, Comparative and Transnational Law. She received her B.A., summa cum laude, from Yale University in 2007, where she was a member of Phi Beta Kappa.
Karen is admitted to the bar in Washington, D.C. and California, and is admitted to practice before the Supreme Court of the United States, the United States Appeals Court for the Sixth Circuit and the United States District Courts for the Northern District of California, Eastern District of Michigan and District of Columbia.
