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Biography

Karissa Owens is a Partner at Rissman and manages the firm’s south Florida office. She is also a Board Certified Civil Trial Lawyer by the Florida Board of Legal Specialization & Education. She joined the firm’s Orlando office in 2002 after graduating from USC’s School of Law in South Carolina, where she was on the editorial board of the American Bar Association’s Real Property, Probate and Trust Journal and clerked part-time at two insurance defense law firms. Karissa joined the firm knowing that she wanted to be a trial lawyer and that Rissman would provide an opportunity to learn the skills necessary to take the lead in the courtroom.

Since joining the firm, Karissa has become AV-rated by Martindale-Hubbell and has been lead counsel at trial in cases involving various types of bodily injuries including catastrophic injuries and death. She has successfully tried to verdict medical malpractice actions, wrongful death claims and commercial trucking cases as well as premises liability and auto liability cases. She has also defeated appellate challenges of her trial court wins.

In 2014, Karissa moved to Fort Lauderdale to open the firm’s south Florida office where her current practice focuses on medical malpractice and insurance defense including product liability claims, commercial and private auto claims and premises liability claims. She has written and published on the importance of professionalism within the field and is a frequent lecturer on legal topics relevant to health organizations, trucking companies and insurance carriers.

How I resolve

I am committed to continuing the firm’s tradition of training young trial lawyers to handle their cases with passion, skill and integrity.

Practice areas

Bar and Court Admissions

  • Florida Bar (2002)
  • U.S. District Court; Middle District of Florida (2004)
  • U.S. District Court; Southern District of Florida (2014)

Education

  • Coker College, Hartsville, S.C. (B.A., cum laude, 1999)
  • University of South Carolina School of Law (J.D. 2002)

Affiliations

  • The Florida Bar, Member
  • American Bar Association's Real Property, Probate and Trust Journal, Articles Editor (2001-2002)
  • Publication, Mentorship: The Importance of Good Behavior published in the Orlando Bar Briefs
  • Broward County Bar Association
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