Karen Hester
Director of Career Services
Phone: 785-864-4357
E-mail: khester@ku.edu
Profile
Karen H. Hester joined the KU Law Office of Career Services in August 2005. She is a 2001 graduate of the University of Cincinnati College of Law. While in law school, she clerked for a law firm, the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals, and the Department of Labor.
In 2002, she supplemented her J.D. with an LL.M in Taxation from UMKC. For three years, Karen practiced estate planning and elder law in El Paso, Texas. Karen also earned two degrees from Kansas State University, a MS in Student Personnel and Counseling and a BS in Mathematics.
Karen brings a wonderful blend of student services and law practice experience to our office. Before attending law school, she served as Admission Representative and Coordinator of Multicultural Recruitment at K-State and worked as the Coordinator of Student Support Services at a college in Kentucky.
In the last year, Karen has created the International Legal Internships Handbook and established the Legal Career with Government Agencies career fair. She also initiated the KU Minority Alumni Network, a group of alumni who are interested in assisting KU's minority law students. At least once a month, Karen is visiting legal employers and attending local bar events to maintain positive relationships.
Karen is currently a member of the Heartland Diversity Legal Job Fair subcommittee of the Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association. In her spare time, Karen recovers from her daily commute to Lawrence from Overland Park and from the nightly chauffeuring of her son to his after-school activities.
