Former Editor Bio: Karen Federman Henry

Karen Federman Henry has practiced law since 1985, and has handled appellate work throughout her career. She earned a bachelor of arts degree in government and politics from the University of Maryland, College Park, and received a juris doctor from the University of Maryland, Francis King Carey School of Law. During law school, she served as a notes and comments editor on the Maryland Law Review. The nature of her practice has covered trial and appellate litigation in state and federal courts, transaction work, administrative hearings, legislative drafting, and preparing advisory opinions. Her court admissions include the Maryland Court of Appeals; District of Columbia Court of Appeals; U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit; U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia; U.S. District Court for Maryland; U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit; and the Supreme Court of the United States.

Ms. Federman Henry started her legal career with an internship for the Hon. Rita C. Davidson on the Court of Appeals of Maryland and a judicial clerkship for the Hon. Rosalyn B. Bell on the Court of Special Appeals. After two years of private practice with a small law firm, Ms. Federman Henry joined the Office of the County Attorney for Montgomery County, Md., where she remained for more than 28 years. During that time, she handled an array of issues that face local governments, including personnel and civil-rights litigation, land use and zoning, public-information requests, fair-housing analysis, finance, tax, and procurement. For 10 years, Ms. Federman Henry served as the principal counsel for appeals, handling and overseeing all appellate matters in the Office. In October 2015, she retired from the County after serving for nine years as the chief of the Division of Finance and Procurement.After taking a few months’ break, she joined the Office of the Attorney General of Maryland in August of 2016, and advised the Public Access Ombudsman and the Public Information Compliance Board until December 2017.  From January through October 2018, she served as of counsel with the Baltimore law firm of Funk & Bolton, P.A., and worked with the local government portion of their practice advising several municipalities in Maryland.

In addition to her law practice, Ms. Federman Henry has participated in organizations that cultivate civility and professionalism among members of the bar, including the Maryland State Bar Association, the Montgomery County Bar Association, Montgomery County Inn of Court, and Edward Coke Appellate Inn of Court. She served on the Court of Appeals Commission on Professionalism (the predecessor to the Maryland Professionalism Center) from 2004 to 2009. Ms. Federman Henry received the 2012 J. Joseph Curran Public Service Award from the Maryland Bar Foundation for serving the public good and furthering the goals of better government and societal standards.

Her publications include articles for the Maryland State Bar Association Litigation Section’s The Maryland Litigator (“Change Is Good, But Don’t Let It Catch You By Surprise!” February 2012 (discussing changes to Md. Rule 3-306), and “Trust No One—Redact or Seal Private Information,” September 2011, (discussing requirements of the Maryland Rules and public access to court documents)) and Hauch v. Connor — Beginning a Transition in Maryland Conflict of Laws Doctrine?, 43 Md.L.Rev. 204 (1984).