The San Diego-based firm Wilson Turner Kosmo, one of the largest certified-women owned law firms in California, has elected Carolina Bravo-Karimi as managing partner. Bravo-Karimi, an influential litigator and sought-after workplace investigator, steps into the role Jan. 1.
“Carolina is a powerhouse who will lead the firm with empathy and grace, ensuring its legacy of providing excellent and sophisticated legal services, a culture of collaboration and an authentic commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion,” said WTK founding partner Claudette Wilson.
Carolina is a respected trial attorney and authority on employment law who advocates for more diverse, equitable and inclusive workplaces and advises businesses, decisionmakers and employees on achieving them. She is a driving force behind realizing a legal industry that mirrors the nation’s diversity. Under her leadership, WTK was named the No. 1 Top Small Firm in Law360’s 2021 annual Glass Ceiling report.
“WTK’s future is so bright thanks to the vision and hard work of our founding partners,” Bravo-Karimi says. “As WTK moves into our next chapter, we will work to continue attracting industry-leading clients and top-legal talent who wish to work at a law firm whose culture is defined by the core values of excellence, diversity, equity, inclusion, empathy and collaboration.”
During the pandemic, WTK hired 16 diverse attorneys and a human resources director, many of whom were recruited by Carolina — reflecting her and the firm’s standing commitment to the recruitment, retention and mentorship of diverse talent. Today, 85% of firm personnel are women or minorities. With Carolina leading the effort, WTK also launched a Diversity, Equity & Inclusion practice group to support companies and organizations in the creation, implementation and management of their DE&I efforts.
“I never want WTK to forget how important it is to accept, and invite, different viewpoints, varying life experiences and unique passions,” Bravo-Karimi said. “Diversity makes us who we are. It’s what makes us great lawyers and is critical to providing our clients with sophisticated, high-quality work product.”
Committed to giving back, she serves on the Fleet Science Center’s Board of Trustees, is president of the University of San Diego School of Law’s Alumni Board and co-chair of the San Diego Just the Beginning Steering Committee. Carolina also served as a past president of the Federal Bar Association’s San Diego Chapter, deputy of San Diego’s Hispanic National Bar Association, faculty advisor of USD’s Executive Moot Court Board and faculty member of the National Institute of Trial Attorney’s trial program.
Carolina earned her J.D. from the USD School of Law; MSc in Gender Studies, with merit, from the London School of Economics and Political Science; and B.A., cum laude, from Harvard University. She served as a law clerk to the Hon. Louisa S. Porter of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California, handling over 250 civil cases against the federal government.
She joined WTK in 2008 and became a partner in 2018.
Early this year, Carolina received the San Diego County Bar Association’s Service Award for Service to Diversity. She was also recently named a Woman Worth Watching by Profiles in Diversity Journal and was featured in the publication’s Latinos Worth Watching issue. Her other accolades include being named a Hispanic National Bar Association’s Top Lawyer Under 40; a San Diego Super Lawyers Rising Star; SD Metro’s 40 Under 40; and the USD School of Law’s Rising Star Recent Alumni.
About Wilson Turner Kosmo
Wilson Turner Kosmo serves as California trial counsel for local and national companies and public institutions. The firm’s 45 lawyers provide litigation expertise in the areas of product liability, employment law, class actions and general business litigation. Established in 1991, Wilson Turner Kosmo’s attorneys are frequently honored for their commitment to the legal profession and the San Diego community. The firm is one of the largest women‐owned law firms in California and is certified by the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council, the National Association of Minority and Women Owned Law Firms and The Supplier Clearinghouse for the Utility Supplier Diversity Program of the California Public Utilities Commission. For more information, visit www.wilsonturnerkosmo.com.
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