Karen Baker

Karen began her higher education journey with a BA in Latin American studies from Vanderbilt University. She was named to the Dean’s List every semester while in college and received the Texas Law Dean's Achievement Award in Immigration and Environmental Law while in law school. Following her graduation in the top 10% of her class from Texas Law, Karen was inducted into the Order of the Coif. 

Her practice has focused principally on refugee protection in law and policy. Karen’s interest in this area began before law school, when she worked in Guatemala and witnessed many factors driving displacement. After law school, she spent five years providing direct legal services to dozens of asylum seekers, helping them navigate a complex process to obtain relief. Subsequently, she spent over four years working on legal and policy issues at the UN Refugee Agency. In her role, she led initiatives to better align US law with standards under international refugee and human rights law, such as by drafting technical comments to proposed regulations and preparing amicus briefs to file in strategic federal litigation, including before the US Supreme Court.

Over the years, Karen has benefited significantly from the counsel of wonderful mentors and deeply enjoyed mentoring law students and young attorneys. She is passionate about and dedicated to supporting individuals who aspire to attend law school and pursue legal careers, drawing on a decade of coaching experience. As a former Clinical Teaching Fellow & Supervising Attorney at Georgetown University Law Center, she worked with students as they considered decisions about summer internships and post-graduation career paths, helped them identify opportunities that appealed to their interests, and provided strategic guidance on how to present themselves as strong candidates and achieve their goals.

As an admissions coach, Karen tailors her approach to each applicant. From the start, she takes the time to understand their goals, strengths, and areas for growth. She then works closely with them to design and implement a personalized plan that maximizes their chances of success. Karen is highly skilled at providing thoughtful, constructive feedback and is deeply committed to supporting applicants throughout the process. Her diverse experience with students, attorneys, and professionals across a range of contexts makes her a valuable resource for law school applicants.