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Karen Sue Steinhauser

Adjunct Faculty

  • Faculty

Specialization(s)

Advocacy

Professional Biography

Karen Steinhauser has her own practice, The Law Office of Karen Steinhauser LLC, where she specializes in criminal defense and family law. Prior to starting her own practice, Karen was Of Counsel with the law firm of Gutterman Griffiths PC., handling family law and criminal defense cases. Prior to joining Gutterman Griffiths, Karen was a Shareholder at Isaacson Rosenbaum PC., until the firm closed its doors in June of 2011. Before Isaacson, Karen had been with the firm of Pryor Johnson Carney Karr Nixon, P.C., where her practice focused on a wide variety of civil trial work including employment law, professional liability defense and plaintiff�s personal injury. Karen was a visiting professor for six years at the University of Denver Sturm College of Law where she taught Evidence, Criminal Procedure and Trial Advocacy to law students. She began her legal career as a prosecutor in the Denver District Attorneys Office for 20 years. Besides continuing to teach as an adjunct professor at DU, Karen also continues to teach for the National Institute for Trial Advocacy. For the past 15 years, through NITA, she has taught lawyers both nationally and internationally in the art and skill of persuasion and trial advocacy, including basic and expert deposition skills, basic and advanced trial skills, and client and witness interviewing skills. She also serves as a legal consultant to local and national newspapers, radio and television media in the area of criminal law and procedure.

�I started teaching and coaching trial advocacy at DU Law School in 1990 because I was frustrated by the lack of competence, professionalism, and ethics in people coming out of law schools and trying cases in court. I decided that rather than just complaining about it, I could do something about it by teaching students how to be excellent trial lawyers, which includes being knowledgeable about ethics, professionalism, and the most current persuasive techniques in trying a case. With my experience as a prosecutor, civil litigator, criminal defense attorney, and law professor, as well as my experience trying approximately 300 trials, and teaching for the National Institute for Trial Advocacy, I believe that I have the skills and the ability to communicate those skills necessary to become the best advocate possible whether advocating to a jury or to a judge. I love teaching at DU because I believe we have awesome students who love to learn, and it is a privilege to mentor them and to help them even in some small way, achieve their goals. �