Life Is Filled with Swift Transitions: A Guide to Helping Your Clients Manage Catastrophic Health Incidents

Pope-Onwukwe, Karren Jo: - Karren Pope-Onwukwe is a prominent elder law and disability rights attorney, bar leader and community activist, her practice centers around helping clients plan for aging, disability, and wealth transfer. She is currently chair-elect of the American Bar Association's Senior Lawyers Division. She is past president of the Elder Law and Disability Rights Section Council of the Maryland State Bar Association, where she continues to serve. Co-founder and past co-chair of the Elder Law Section of the Prince George's County Bar Association. In 2020, Karren was appointed to the Maryland Attorney General's COVID-19 Access to Justice Task Force. In 2018 Karren was appointed to the American Bar Association's Commission on Law and Aging and the Maryland Financial Consumer Protection Commission. Karren is the 2018 recipient of the Legal Champion of the Year Award from the Maryland Consumer Rights Coalition. In 2017 she was appointed chair of the Elder Law Committee of the American Bar Association's Senior Lawyers Division and was appointed to the Prince George's County Adult Public Guardianship Review Board where she continues to serve. In 2013 Karren was appointed vice-chair of the National Bar Association's Elder Law Task Force. In 2007 Governor O'Malley appointed Karren to the State Advisory Council on Quality Care at the End of Life, where she served until 2017. Karren was chair of the Prince George's County Executive's Aging Advisory Committee from 2003-2012. In 2010, Karren was the editor of Practical Approaches to Maryland Guardianship. Karren is past president of the Prince George's chapter of the Women's Bar Association of Maryland and has served numerous positions on the board of J. Franklyn Bourne Bar Association and is an active member of Psi Epsilon Omega chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha, Sorority. Attorney Pope-Onwukwe sits on the following community boards: Trustees of Reid Temple A.M.E. Church and the University of Maryland Regional Health Foundation Board. The Baltimore Daily Record named Karren as one of the 100 Top Women in Maryland for 2004. Karren represented Maryland on the Democratic National Committee from 2004 through 2016. In 2009 Karren was presented with the Distinguished Alumna Award from the University of Maryland University College ("UMUC"). Karren is the recipient of the Governor's Leadership in Aging Awards, 2012 Trailblazer Award and the North Atlantic Region of AKA's 2012 Good Citizenship Award. Attorney Pope-Onwukwe earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Eastern Kentucky University; a Bachelor of Science degree from the UMUC and a Juris Doctorate degree from the Georgetown University Law Center. For more information visit www.kpopeatty.com