Spotlight On: Karen Popp
Karen Popp, a partner and co-chair of the white-collar group at Sidley Austin LLP, recently received The National Law Journal 2024 “Lifetime Achievement Award” in honor of her exceptional accomplishments and impact on the legal community. Karen has received international recognition for her work in white-collar criminal defense. She has been consistently ranked by Chambers USA and by Chambers Global and has appeared on lists of top attorneys in Euromoney Expert Guides, Global Investigations Review, and the Washingtonian. She is also a Distinguished Fellow at Duke Law teaching Government Enforcement and Global Corporate Compliance.
In addition to her reputation as a brilliant legal thinker and tenacious advocate, Karen is known for her commitment to cultivating community for women practitioners in the white-collar space. She is a co-founder of the Women’s White Collar Defense Association (WWCDA), which just celebrated its 25-year anniversary, and she was the first-ever recipient of Global Investigations Review’s “Award for Services to Diversity” based on her work to support and elevate female attorneys. At the WWCDA Awards Gala, I had the privilege of honoring Karen’s impact on WWCDA members and all women in the legal profession. Karen’s unrelenting determination to elevate women in law is the driving force behind WWCDA. She opened doors for over 4500 women, who are reaping the benefits of her vision, her perseverance, and her leadership. She upended the status quo. She did not simply refuse to play by the old rules – she made new rules. She did not simply invite more women to the table – she brought in more tables. Karen embodies the WWCDA principals of “Connection, Community, and Change:” she connected women in the field, she built a community to support them, and she has worked tirelessly to ensure change. Quite frankly, Karen Popp changed everything. Practicing at the highest level in a field for decades is deserving of recognition, but leaving an indelible mark on the legal profession and for women in law is an immeasurable achievement.