It is so refreshing to meet women who are focused, have goals with a plan and go for it. Kara L. Gervais is one of these women. She accomplished exactly what she set out to do and now enjoys being a successful attorney and a small business owner. My initial impression, upon arriving to the professional building where her law firm office is located, was how convenient and central it is within the Scripps Ranch Parkway corridor close to the 15 Freeway. This location with ample parking and Kara’s expertise, along with the comfortable environment and approach she provides can only ease the process of seeking legal counsel. The Gervais Law website www.gervaislawfirm.com, highlights her personal and extensive professional background and the services provided. “Growing up, I wanted to be a paralegal. I did not know exactly what it was, but I was always fascinated with the law. I chose criminal justice at SDSU because in the back of my mind I wanted to join the FBI. At the time, I believed having a law degree would give me a greater opportunity to get into the FBI. If not, I could always practice law.” Kara attended high school with a graduating class of seventy-five students in a small town in the state of Washington. After graduation, there were not many opportunities in Newport, her hometown, so she made the move to San Diego to attend community college. She transferred to San Diego State University and later was accepted to law school at California Western School of Law here in San Diego. Kara was the first in her family to graduate from college. She met her husband Vince, now a high school teacher and baseball coach, at the Olive Garden restaurant where they both worked throughout college. Their son Dylan, their only child, was born three years later sending another ball up in the air adding to their already perfected balancing life act. Kara and her husband juggled work and school with parenting duties by working opposite schedules in order for one of them to be with Dylan, because they could not afford daycare. Their son was their first priority while continuing their quest to accomplish their educational goals. “Quitting was never an option. Dylan was in first grade when I started law school and it was very challenging and hard work with a family.” Kara was determined to earn her law degree and completed her studies on time, graduating in the top twenty percent of her class. “My law school classmates did not know much about me. I was probably one of two students with a child. I did not socialize much.” When Kara’s name would come up for accolades and top scores they would often wonder who she was. While under the radar socially, her commitment to her goals and studies never wavered and in fact excelled all three years of law school. Kara never practiced as a paralegal, her dream in her early years. Her trajectory took her past paralegal straight into being an attorney and worked for a few law firms when she realized she wanted to be her own boss. “I wanted my own case workload and choose my own clients and deal with them my way. Follow my own work ethic and philosophy. For the last seven years I have been building my practice in a variety of legal matters, focusing mostly around civil litigation and real estate issues. While I pride myself on aggressive and assertive litigation, I counsel clients on preventative strategies to avoid litigation and early and cost-efficient ways to resolve disputes, including mediation and arbitration.”
Why Real Estate law? “Real Estate law chose me!” After graduating from law school she worked in a firm that specialized in this area and Kara liked it. Her practice areas are in Real Property, Homeowners Associations, Dispute Resolution/Litigation, Land Use and Business-Entity formation (limited liability companies, partnerships, corporations, joint ventures). Business law being most relevant an area for women desiring to become small business owners just like Kara. Having career success does not come without some challenges. “Being a woman attorney and practicing litigation is challenging. You are constantly underestimated when you walk into a courtroom. More and more women are entering the litigation field, however it is still male dominated.” Kara said that women tend to shy from litigation to avoid game playing, strong personalities and egos. She educated me on the two types of legal workloads involved. Transactional work entails an out of court process of reviewing contracts, leases, purchases, sale documents etc. Litigation work brings you into court in front of a judge. Kara specializes in and practices both. Being a small business owner is important to Kara because she loves the freedom to develop her business while having flexible hours to be with her family. “Being your own boss is the best thing ever and you can specialize and keep growing your business!” A typical day includes meeting with clients, a lot of writing/ reading, mediation and arbitrations and court appearances. The law profession has changed over the years with more women practicing law and Kara believes it is 50:50 now. “There is a difference in the way male and female attorneys practice law.” She works with more female attorneys than ever before and really enjoys it.
Diego WSan oman
Kara L. Gervais
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