Karen Lisko, Ph.D.
- Senior Litigation Consultant
- Persuasive Communications Advisor
- Phoenix
Notice
Before proceeding, please note: If you are not a current client of Perkins Coie, please do not include any information in this e-mail that you or someone else considers to be of a confidential or secret nature. Perkins Coie has no duty to keep confidential any of the information you provide. Neither the transmission nor receipt of your information is considered a request for legal advice, securing or retaining a lawyer. An attorney-client relationship with Perkins Coie or any lawyer at Perkins Coie is not established until and unless Perkins Coie agrees to such a relationship as memorialized in a separate writing.
Karen works with lawyers to increase their persuasiveness throughout all phases of litigation.
Karen Lisko, Ph.D., is a senior litigation consultant who works with legal teams to develop persuasive case strategies for bench and jury trials as well as arbitrations. Drawing on more than 30 years of trial consulting experience, she helps teams with judicial and arbitrator persuasion, jury persuasion, mock trial research for jury and bench trials, hearings and arbitrations, pro bono assistance in asylum cases, and witness preparation for depositions and trials.
Karen holds a doctorate in legal communication, a specialized degree attained by only a few consultants in the nation. She is the author of three books: Patently Persuasive, Proven Jury Arguments and Evidence, and Kind Dynamite: Six Ways Women Can Use Our Uniquely Explosive Power to Persuade in Meetings. In 2024, she received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Society of Trial Consultants, and she continues to serve as a faculty member with the National Institute for Trial Advocacy.
In addition to her case work, Karen trains lawyers and clients on effective communication, persuasive speaking, and engaging with polarized audiences. She co-leads Ashurst Perkins Coie’s Client Advantage program, which provides training for select firm clients. Karen has also served as president of the American Society of Trial Consultants and as a board member of the organization’s foundation.
Areas of focus
Education & Credentials
Education
- University of Kansas, Ph.D., Communication Studies with emphasis in Legal Communication, 1992
- University of Kansas, M.A., Communication Studies, 1990
- The University of Arizona, B.A., Speech Communication, 1986
Related Employment
- Baylor University School of Law LL.M. Graduate Program, Adjunct Professor in Courtroom Persuasion 2022-2025
- Holland & Hart LLP, Denver, CO, Senior Litigation Consultant, Persuasion Strategies, 1997-2015
- University of Colorado School of Law, Lecturer and Faculty Member, Trial Advocacy Intersession, 1997-2005
- Tsongas Litigation Consulting, Trial Consultant and Research Director, 1992-1997
Impact
Professional Leadership
- Online Courtroom Project, Founding Advisory Board Member, 2020
- Foundation of the American Society of Trial Consultants, Board of Directors, 2006-2016
- American Society of Trial Consultants, Grievance Committee, Member, 2008-2020; Professional Association Liaison Committee, Co-Chair, 2003-2006; National President and Board Member, 2001-2003; National Vice-President and Board Member, 1998-2001
- The Nebraska Innocence Project, Board Member, 2007-2009
- American Intellectual Property Law Association
- American Bar Association, Litigation Section and Intellectual Property Section
- American Psychological Association, Psychology and Law Division
