Spencer Fane LLP is pleased to announce Nicole Karam and Natalie Washington have joined the firm in Dallas as associates in the Litigation and Dispute Resolution practice group.
Karam has experience handling a variety of commercial litigation and arbitration matters, including disputes that arise from bankruptcy proceedings involving fraud, contract claims, breach of fiduciary duties, fraudulent transfers, professional malpractice, intellectual property, and environmental actions brought by state and federal agencies.
Washington’s focus is in complex civil litigation, where she represents businesses and individuals in a wide array of matters including oil and gas law, regulatory compliance, commercial leases, corporate law, and constitutional challenges to municipal ordinances regarding First Amendment commercial speech. Washington is enthusiastically prepared to achieve favorable results within the courtroom, but is just as equipped to reach a pre-trial resolution for her clients before litigation is even necessary.
“Our clients have experienced an increased need to manage legal disputes swiftly in the current business environment,” said Jason Cross, Office Managing Partner for Spencer Fane in Dallas. “The addition of Nicole and Natalie increases our capacity to handle complex business litigation matters, and their industry experience matches up well with our client base. We look forward to utilizing their talents to maintain our commitment to provide highest levels of client service.”
Karam completed her undergraduate studies at the University of Rochester before earning her Juris Doctor from the Albany Law School of Union University. While in law school, she served as Associate Editor of the Albany Law Review and as a judicial intern with the Hon. Lawrence E. Kahn in the United States District Court for the Northern District of New York.
In addition to her legal practice, Karam enjoys being continuously involved in her community. As a Co-Chair of the Wellness Committee and Freedom Run Committee for the Dallas Association of Young Lawyers (DAYL), she promotes the health and well-being of young lawyers and helps coordinate an annual 5K benefitting local first responders and remembering fallen heroes. Serving as a member of DAYL’s Leadership Class, she works to mitigate growing issues within the local community, such as education gaps and homelessness.
Washington completed her undergraduate studies at Texas Tech University and earned her Juris Doctor from the University of Oklahoma College of Law. She earned a license as a legal intern in the state of Oklahoma and represented indigent individuals in civil litigation through the OU Legal Clinic.
During law school, Washington interned at two renowned oil and gas companies in Dallas, where she received her introduction into legal matters common in that industry. Before law school, she worked at a telecommunications startup where she reviewed and amended contracts with the legal team and helped develop tower climbing technology as a partner with Verizon.
Outside of legal work, Washington recently founded a non-partisan political organization “The Initiative” which provides local, state, and national information to young adults to educate and mobilize their ability to vote. The organization has gained tremendous support in the Dallas legal community and continues to expand.
