Karen E. Evans is a former registered nurse, an advocate for healthcare equity and equality, an advocate for individuals and the little guy, and a Shareholder in The Cochran Firm’s Washington, D.C. office. Ms. Evans combines her years of experience as a registered nurse and former defense lawyer with aggressive advocacy skills to pursue claims on behalf of individuals and families who have suffered life changing catastrophic injuries and losses. She has successfully tried and settled numerous medical malpractice cases in the seven and eight-figure range. She is proud of her work and its positive impact on the lives of those who put their trust in her.
In 2019, she was elected to The Cochran Firm, P.C. National Board of Directors. Since 2019 Ms. Evans has been listed by Lawdragon 500 as a Leading Plaintiff Consumer Lawyer. Lawdragon presents a curated look at the best of the U.S. plaintiff bar who specialize in representing individuals who have suffered injuries from a variety of torts. Ms. Evans is honored to be among the 168 women listed in this year’s Guide.
Over the course of her 30 year career, Ms. Evans has practiced with integrity and a strong moral compass as her guide to superior client centered representation. Ms. Evans has been selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America, Super Lawyers and The National Trial Lawyers Top 100 Lawyers, among other honors. She has also been listed in The Bar Register of Preeminent Women Lawyers. She has earned the highest peer rating of Martindale Hubbell®, AV Preeminent. This rating signifies that a large number of Ms. Evans’ peers rank her at the highest level of professional excellence for her legal knowledge, communication skills and ethical standards.
In 2018, The Trial Lawyers Association of Metropolitan Washington, D.C. named Ms. Evans, the 2018 Trial Lawyer of the Year. Additionally, she was a 2018 recipient of the National Bar Association Presidential Award for exemplary service to the Association.
In 2017, she was recognized by her alma mater, East Carolina, and The Women’s Roundtable Incredible ECU Women. In 2015, she was a recipient of the GWAC Bar Association 2015 Trailblazer Award.
Ms. Evans is a Past President of the National Black Lawyers Top 100, a Past President of the Trial Lawyers Association of Metropolitan Washington, D.C., a Past President of the Washington Bar Association, (one of the National Bar Association’s oldest affiliates), and a Past President of the Washington Bar Association Educational Foundation, Inc. She currently serves on the Executive Committee of the National Trial Lawyers. She was an elected member of the D.C. Bar Board of Governors and continues to serve as a member of the Executive Committee for the Council for Court Excellence. In 2019, Karen Evans was inducted into the Washington Bar Association Hall of Fame.
A native of North Carolina, Ms. Evans earned her B.S.N. from East Carolina University School of Nursing and received her law degree from The University of North Carolina School of Law. Before law school, Ms. Evans was a Captain in the United States Air Force Nurse Corps and practiced medical/surgical and intensive care nursing for ten years. She began her legal education at Texas Tech University School of Law where she was selected for Law Review. After her first year of study, she transferred to The University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill School of Law, where she earned her Juris Doctorate (J.D.) in 1990.
