Karen Litscher Johnson

Director

MCLE Board of the Supreme Court of Illinois

As the first Director of the Illinois Supreme Court’s MCLE Board, Karen has worked with the Board to administer the Court’s MCLE program for more than 13 years. Under her direction, the program has developed extensive online resources to benefit the almost 100,000 attorneys licensed by the Supreme Court of Illinois and 2,000 course providers who offer accredited educational programs.

Karen’s background in attorney education includes six years as DLA Piper’s National Director of Professional Development where she planned and managed the firm’s attorney education program for its U.S. offices. Before that, she was a litigation partner with Much Shelist, P.C., a mid-sized Chicago law firm, handling commercial disputes with a focus in employment and environmental matters, including trial and appellate work.

Karen is a graduate of the Cornell Law School and the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She was a founding member and second chair of the Chicago-Area Professional Development Consortium, a group of attorney education professionals at law firms, government offices and bar associations. She also served as Chair of the Chicago Bar Association Young Lawyers Section. During eight years in bar leadership, she planned dozens of CLE courses and organized many public and bar service projects. Karen previously worked as a radio reporter and anchor in Madison, Wisconsin.