Biography
KAREN KIES DEGRAND focuses her practice on post-trial proceedings and appeals. For over 35 years she has represented clients in civil appeals before the appellate and supreme courts of Illinois, the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals, and the appellate and supreme courts of Wisconsin and Indiana. Also active at the trial level, Ms. DeGrand advises trial counsel regarding preservation of issues for appeal. Her extensive trial-level experience involves defending attorneys in a wide range of professional liability matters, which have included criminal defense, domestic relations, transactional work, estate planning, and tort litigation.
Ms. DeGrand is a former President of the Appellate Lawyers Association and annually is named in the listing of “Super Lawyers” and “Leading Lawyers” in the area of appellate practice. In 2015 she was included in Leading Lawyers’ Top 10 Women in Civil Appellate, and in 2016 she was inducted into the American Academy of Appellate Lawyers, an organization limiting its nation-wide membership to appellate lawyers with a minimum of 15 years of practice focusing substantially on appeals and possessing a reputation of recognized distinction as an appellate lawyer. In 2021, The Best Lawyers in America® recognized Ms. DeGrand in the specialty of appellate practice.
