Former Auto Insurance Claims Adjuster

Karla traces her legal journey back to her roots as a former auto insurance claims adjuster. As a former auto insurance claims adjuster, Karla conducted hundreds of interviews of insurance policyholders, claimants, and witnesses, reviewed all evidence to determine fault, negotiated liability and settled claims with attorneys and claimants, promptly handled multi-vehicle and complex auto accidents in a high-volume claims environment, abided by Department of Insurance regulations, and collaborated with management to resolve insurance coverage disputes. Karla's ability to effectively juggle multiple priorities, all while providing exceptional customer service to her clients, led to her quick success in the insurance industry. Within her first year, she was promoted and received a coveted award for providing excellent customer service.

Karla's success and passion for helping people prompted her to pursue law school. Her unique background as a former auto insurance claims adjuster at a top insurance company in California sets her apart and fuels her dedication to securing justice for her clients in the personal injury arena. 

Transition into Personal Injury Law

Pre-litigation

After graduating from Loyola Law School, Karla began her legal career working in the pre-litigation department. Karla's experience in pre-litigation includes taking detailed intakes to properly assess and understand her client's injuries and needs, explaining the personal injury process to her clients to ensure they understand it, consistently updating her clients on significant developments of their case, and showing empathy to her clients while aggressively building up their case to obtain just compensation.

Karla realized early on in her pre-litigation career that to effectively work up a case and secure maximum compensation, obtaining litigation experience was key. After obtaining a solid foundation in pre-litigation, Karla switched to the litigation department and thrived in a faster paced and higher stakes environment.

Litigation

Karla brings with her a wealth of knowledge and expertise in the field of personal injury law. Karla has litigated several types of cases (i.e. auto accidents, pedestrian accidents, trucking accidents, wrongful death, sexual abuse, premises liability, products liability, and dog bites) and has recovered millions of dollars for her clients, establishing herself as a formidable advocate. Karla's experience as a litigator includes preparing her clients for deposition, defending and taking depositions, meeting and conferring on discovery disputes, and preparing trial documents such as motions in limine, oppositions to motions in limine, jury instructions, special jury instructions, witness lists, and exhibit lists.

Initially, Karla was the only associate attorney in her prior firm's litigation department. While there, she established a strong foundation and learned the essentials of litigation quickly as she started from the bottom up. She had no paralegal, so Karla learned how to do everything on a file from scratch, from the filing of a complaint to preparing a case for trial. At their prior firm, Karla and her husband and business partner, Paul, were responsible for overseeing the day-to-day litigation tasks, handling client communication, and managing a team of paralegals. Together, they joined forces and helped secure approximately over $20 million worth of settlements.

As a litigation attorney, she has honed her skills and established a reputation for going above and beyond for her clients. From the initial consultation to case resolution, Karla strives to ensure that every client receives the personalized attention they deserve. Karla is a firm believer that a case is only as good as its work up, which begins on the pre-litigation side. Her methodical approach to each case reflects her commitment to providing the best legal representation.

Karla takes great pride in her ability to keep clients informed throughout the personal injury case journey. This commitment to transparency not only builds trust but also reflects her genuine concern for those she represents. Karla's career is marked by a relentless pursuit of justice, making her a true advocate in the realm of personal injury law.

Karla is a proud woman litigator who passionately fights for the rights of her clients and is unafraid to explore new facets of the law. At her prior firm, she was heavily involved with the handling of the firm's first sexual abuse cases, which led to a recovery of $10 million in less than a year. Her unwavering commitment to detail and an expectation of the highest level of professionalism has led to her success and the recovery of millions for her clients.  

Karla's favorite part of practicing personal injury is the connections she builds with her clients. When she's not fighting for her clients in court, she's actively updating them on their cases and taking the time to listen to their issues and concerns to implement the best legal strategy for their case. She takes a hands-on approach on all of her cases and is involved in even the smallest details and tasks.

Karla firmly believes that it takes a special person to litigate as it requires long hours of work, dedication, consistency, focus, discipline, flexibility, and an ability to quickly adapt to ever-changing priorities and circumstances. It's not for everyone, but Karla found herself drawn to it as it provides a forum where she can continually challenge herself to reach new heights and maximize her client's settlement recovery. Passion defines Karla's work, as she tirelessly advocates for her clients' rights to secure the compensation they deserve.

Education and Early Career

Karla is a proud Loyola alum where she further refined her advocacy and negotiation skills and excelled. She attended law school full time with her husband, Paul Garcia, and worked part-time while caring for her 7-month-old baby daughter with the help of her mother. Karla graduated in the top 20% of her class and received the highest grade in her Trial Advocacy and Legal Research and Writing courses.

Karla was a law clerk for two years in Loyola's Youth Justice Education Clinic. She zealously represented youth with disabilities in Individualized Education Program (“IEP”) meetings and ensured they obtained requisite accommodations. Upon graduating, Karla was awarded Loyola's Social Justice Law Clinic Outstanding Student Award for her advocacy.

Karla was also a certified law clerk with the Riverside Public Defender's Office where she covered court appearances daily and handled arraignments and pleas in the felony department.

In her spare time, Karla enjoys going to the gym, shopping, dancing, and traveling with her husband and two daughters.