Karen S. Sendelbach has been with NSSS&B for over two decades, representing family law clients at all levels of the judicial system, from informal dispute resolution to appeal. Karen has been practicing family law since 1994 and is trained in a wide range of dispute resolution techniques including litigation, mediation, collaboration and arbitration. Fellow attorneys also regularly seek her services as a mediator, arbitrator, and parenting facilitator. In addition to working with adults in family law disputes, Karen is a trained guardian ad litem, which qualifies her to represent children during contentious family law litigation.

Karen is a cum laude graduate of the Syracuse University College of Law in Syracuse, New York, where she was named Outstanding Woman Law Student by the National Association of Women Lawyers and received the American Jurisprudence award for Jurisprudence of Criminal Justice. As an undergraduate, Karen was honored with an Outstanding Senior Award at Michigan State University.

Before attending law school, Karen had planned to pursue a career in social work. Observing her interests and strengths, her professors encouraged her to consider law school instead. She did, and found that the ongoing complexity of family law kept her intellectually engaged while allowing her to make a meaningful difference in her clients’ lives. She is genuinely concerned for her clients, with an unwavering commitment to helping them resolve disputes in a way that promotes their overall well-being.

Like her colleagues at NSSS&B, Karen makes it a priority to serve the legal community and promote excellence in the practice of family law. She was elected by her peers to chair the State Bar of Michigan’s Family Law Council. Prior to serving in that role, she was elected chairperson of the State Bar of Michigan’s Amicus Curiae committee. In that capacity, Karen wrote several legal briefs to both the Court of Appeals and the Michigan Supreme Court on behalf of the family law attorneys in the State of Michigan.

Karen is active in the larger Southeastern Michigan community as well. She has served on the Board of Directors for the Women’s Justice Center in Detroit, Michigan, a domestic violence shelter. She has also worked as an attorney for Oakland Livingston Legal Aid and volunteers for the Board of Advisors for the Great Lakes Invitational Conference Association, a Model United Nations and Domestic Issues conference for high school students from Michigan and worldwide. She is also active in local school issues.

A sought-after lecturer on family law issues for both professionals and the public, Karen also enjoys mentoring younger attorneys in the practice of family law.