Karen Stemland focuses her practice on civil litigation, construction, insurance, real estate, energy, and commercial matters.

Karen’s practice includes providing assistance with construction disputes, risk management, contract drafting and negotiation, mechanic’s lien claims, bond claims, resolution of title defects, insurance coverage, and insurance defense. Karen has co-authored chapters on commercial general liability insurance in Virginia Insurance Law and insurance coverage in the Virginia Construction Law Deskbook. In addition, Karen served as a legal panelist for the Associated General Contractors of Virginia’s annual convention.

Karen graduated cum laude from Georgetown University Law Center, where she served as Senior Notes Editor for the Georgetown International Environmental Law Review. She earned her B.A. in Political Science, magna cum laude, from Colgate University. Prior to law school, Karen worked in the Antitrust Division of the U.S. Department of Justice.

In addition to her law practice, Karen is the Secretary of the Charlottesville-Albemarle Bar Association and serves on the Board of Directors of the Foothills Child Advocacy Center.

Affiliations

Charlottesville-Albemarle Bar Association

Associated General Contractors of Virginia

Virginia Association of Defense Attorneys

 

Thought Leadership

Legal Updates:

Representative Cases

Highlights of her experience include:

  • Representing property owners, contractors, and subcontractors in complex construction disputes.
  • Representing mechanic’s lien claimants and defendants in resolving lien claims.
  • Representing owners and contractors in contract preparation, negotiation, and risk management for large construction projects.
  • Representing title insurers in resolving title defects.
  • Representing liability insurers in preparing coverage opinions.
  • Representing owners with commercial real estate development and land use disputes.
  • Representing defendants in securing court approval for settlements with minors.
  • Representing insured defendants sued for personal injury or property loss.

Lawyer case results depend upon a variety of factors unique to each case. Case results do not guarantee or predict a similar result in any future case undertaken by the lawyer.