Of Counsel

Karen Kies DeGrand

Biography
Credentials
Experience

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. 

Credentials

Education

  • J.D., University of Illinois College of Law, 1985
    • Associate Editor of the University of Illinois Law Review
  • B.A., University of Illinois – Urbana-Champaign, 1982
    • Awarded Bronze Tablet for Academic Excellence, Highest University Honors

Awards

  • The Best Lawyers in America® 2019 (Appellate Practice)
  • The Best Lawyers in America® 2020 (Appellate Practice)
  • The Best Lawyers in America® 2021 (Appellate Practice)
  • The Best Lawyers in America® 2022 (Appellate Practice)
  • The Best Lawyers in America® 2023 (Appellate Practice)
  • The Best Lawyers in America®, Lawyer of the Year 2023 (Appellate Practice)
  • Fellow – American Academy of Appellate Lawyers (inducted 2016)
  • “Leading Lawyer” by Leading Lawyer Magazine (2012 – present)
  • Named “Top Ten Women Civil Appellate Attorneys in Illinois” by Leading Lawyer Magazine (2015)
  • Member of Illinois Supreme Court Committee on Professional Responsibility (2015 – 2018)
  • President of the Appellate Lawyers Association (2012 – 2013)
  • Illinois Super Lawyer (2007 – 2024)
  • Appellate Lawyers Association (President 2012-2013)
  • Member of the Illinois Supreme Court Committee on Professional Responsibility (2015-2023)
    • Vice-Chairperson (2021-2023)

Affiliations

  • Illinois Bar, 1985
  • U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, 1985
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, 1995
  • United States Supreme Court, 2006

Experience

DBMS Obtains Victory in the Illinois Supreme Court

November 30, 2023 Client:

Will Beneficiary

Outcome:

Affirmed the lower court judgments in favor of the client .

DBMS partners Karen DeGrand and Scott Howie obtained a victory in the Illinois Supreme Court on November 30 when the court affirmed the lower court judgments in favor of their ...

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In the news

DBMS Attorneys Recognized in The Best Lawyers in America® 2025

Donohue Brown Mathewson & Smyth is proud to announce that thirteen of the firm’s attorneys have been selected by their ...

13 DBMS attorneys named to 2024 Illinois Super Lawyers and Rising Stars list

Donohue Brown Mathewson & Smyth LLC is pleased to announce that 13 attorneys have been recognized in the most recent ...
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