Karen A. Bower, Esq.
Senior Staff Attorney

Karen Bower works on a broad array of issues that affect adults and children with mental illnesses, including discrimination claims under the Americans with Disabilities Act, community integration claims, the criminalization of individuals with mental illness, and cases challenging school responses to students with mental illnesses. Prior to joining the Bazelon Center, she was an adjunct law professor and supervising attorney with the D.C. Law Students in Court Program. Previously, she spent several years at the ACLU National Prison Project, where she brought cases involving the constitutional rights of incarcerated persons. She also practiced with a private firm, where she pursued litigation on employment discrimination and a broad array of civil rights cases. She holds a BA from the University of Pennsylvania and a J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center. She joined the Bazelon Center in September 2004.