Karen Hickey

Karen Hickey practices in the areas of estate administration and estate planning, with a focus on the preparation of wills and trusts, facilitating lifetime transfers of assets, and ensuring trust funding and function. Karen brings empathy and common sense to all client interactions. Her practice emphasizes advising clients on creating comprehensive estate plans, navigating complex estate matters, and helping clients plan for their future.   

Karen received her Juris Doctor degree, cum laude, from the George Mason University School of Law in 2003, where she was an Associate Editor on the George Mason University Law Review. After law school, Karen served as a pro se law clerk for the five federal judges in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia. Upon completion of her clerkship, Karen embarked on a public service career, starting as an Honors Attorney for the U.S. Department of Transportation, and concluding her tenure with the federal government as a Senior Counsel for the Transportation Security Administration. Karen’s experience in devising creative solutions to complex problems, while mitigating risk and building client relationships, forms the foundation of her practice today.

Prior to law school, Karen received her Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature at Virginia Tech. After undergrad, Karen pursued a life of warmth and sunshine, living aboard a sailboat in Florida. Ultimately, she could not resist the pull of an advanced degree and chose to follow her stepfather’s footsteps to become an attorney.

Karen is active in her daughters’ high school marching band, choir, and softball activities. Karen enjoys spending time with family and friends, reading, baking, traveling, and relaxing with her two beloved pets. Karen lives in Charlottesville with her husband and their two daughters.