Karolyn Hicks’ unique and highly public profile in the law has earned her the 2008 King County Bar Association’s Outstanding Young Lawyer Award. This profile is defined by two qualities — a successful record in complex civil litigation and a commitment to defending civil liberties.
Among her complex civil litigation successes, Hicks successfully represents well-known companies in the high-tech communications sphere — clients such as T-Mobile USA, AT&T Mobility, Amazon.com and InfoSpace. This is a formidable record for someone who earned her law degree, cum laude, from American University just eight years ago.
“I enjoy the intellectual challenge associated with the constantly evolving legal needs of sophisticated clients and industries,” said Hicks.
At the other end of the spectrum, Hicks balances her work with big companies by representing individuals in their sensitive disputes involving trusts and estates. She is a principal author of the “Estate Litigation” chapter in the WSBA Washington Probate Deskbook and frequently speaks on this subject at CLE seminars.
“Representing individuals keeps me in touch with the human face of the law and the direct impact it has on people’s lives,” said Hicks.
Hicks further contributed to the legal profession by serving three years on the Board of Trustees of the King County Bar Association’s Young Lawyers Division, where she chaired its Current Events Committee. She also served on the KCBA Neighborhood Legal Clinics Committee, which helps provide pro bono legal services to the indigent, and volunteers at the NLC Greenwood Clinic.
Among her civil liberties achievements, Hicks demonstrates an ongoing passion for social justice, especially in the area of civil rights for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community.
Hicks served five years on the Board of Directors of the American Civil Liberties Union of Washington as well as stints on its executive and nominating committees. She continues to serve as an ACLU cooperating attorney and fundraising ambassador.
This is the local chapter of the ACLU, a national organization advocating individual rights by litigating, legislating and educating the public on a broad range of issues affecting individual citizens. While in law school, Hicks served an internship with the national organization at its New York City headquarters.
When the ACLU brought its suit before the Washington Supreme Court on behalf of 11 same-sex Washington couples who wished to marry or have their marriages recognized under Washington law, Hicks was one of the primary attorneys representing the couples and their families. The trial court’s decision was narrowly overturned, but Hicks and her colleagues continue their efforts. When there was a challenge to the City of Vancouver’s domestic partnership benefits, Hicks drafted the ACLU amicus brief to the Washington Supreme Court.
In addition to her work with the ACLU, Hicks has been serving for the past two years on the Board of Directors of the Bent Writing Institute, a non-profit grassroots organization dedicated to encouraging the written and spoken word among members of the Seattle LGBT community. Hicks advises the board on legal issues, reinstated the organization’s non-profit status and drafted its employee handbook. She also is the board secretary and co-chairs the finance committee, writes grant proposals and coordinates the work of the organization’s other volunteer grant writers.
Hicks also is on the law firm outreach committee of Lambda Legal, a national organization committed to achieving full recognition of the civil rights of LGBT people and those with HIV through high-impact litigation, education and public policy work. In an effort to encourage and support the next generation of young lawyers, Hicks has mentored LGBT law students at Seattle University and the University of Washington.
“I believe that pro bono service to the community is an honor and obligation that comes with a lawyer’s bar number,” said Hicks. “My practice would not feel complete if I were not giving back to the community frequently and consistently.”
In addition to her civil liberties activities, Hicks is a conscious environmentalist who takes the bus during the winter months and otherwise commutes on her bike. In her spare time, she trains for triathlons, practices yoga, walks her dog, hikes, and tends her flower and vegetable gardens. In the evenings, Hicks enjoys watching her girlfriend, Moorea Malatt (a singer/song-writer), perform at various venues throughout Seattle.
Hicks is an associate at the Stokes Lawrence firm in Seattle. Stokes Lawrence has itself been recognized for its unique record in diversity. In spite of the fact that only 17% of law firm partners nationally are women, more than half of the partners in this firm’s Seattle office are women — as is the firm’s managing partner. Although there is very high attrition among women lawyers nationally, Stokes Lawrence has very low attrition.
By combining her skill in civil litigation with her passion for civil liberties, Karolyn A. Hicks has truly demonstrated that she is an outstanding young lawyer.
Kelly Twiss Noonan is the managing shareholder at Stokes Lawrence, P.S., in Seattle.
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