Professional background and experience:

Karen holds an LLB, LLM in family law, and a BA in counselling psychology, achieving cum laude honours. She is accredited as a commercial mediator with Conflict Dynamics, the Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution (CEDR, UK), and the Dispute Settlement Accreditation Council (DiSAC). Additionally, she is an accredited family mediator with Family Mediators Association of the Cape (FMAC) and a parenting coordinator. With a decade of experience as a litigation attorney, Karen specializes primarily in high-conflict family matters. She has served as a parenting coordinator, liquidator, and legal representative for minor children.

Karen’s achievements include receiving the Woza Women in Law award for "Best Family Lawyer" in 2019 and being the first runner-up in the category "Law Firms (0 – 5 years – women only)". In 2020, she was honoured with the Woza Women in Law awards in the categories of "Covid-19 Gender-Based Violence Champion" and "Covid-19 Legal Philanthropist". 

Karen is deeply committed to helping dispute parties find mutually acceptable outcomes through alternative dispute resolution methods, recognizing the profound impact litigation can have on parties, especially when ongoing relationships are involved post-litigation.

Dedicated to providing comprehensive solutions to complex matters, Karen empowers her clients to resolve disputes with dignity and optimism. She understands the inherent stress in legal disputes and aims to guide parties towards amicable, sustainable, and consensual resolutions through non-litigious approaches.

Mediation experience and style:

Karen has successfully mediated a number of high-conflict family disputes, both in person and via Zoom. She uses a blend of the facilitative and transformative styles of mediation with a view to empowering clients to not only resolve their immediate dispute but also to find ways to move forward in a positive manner, particularly where there is an ongoing relationship, such as in family or workplace disputes. 

Comments from clients:

"Karen Botha is absolutely amazing! She has an extremely high work ethic with impeccable attention to detail. She is absolutely passionate about what she does which shows in her results for her clients." 

"A solution orientated and highly competent, no-nonsense, family law specialist who engineered a great solution. Thank you for excellent service and for telling me what I needed to hear." 

"My deepest gratitude for your persistence, perseverance and determination and above all else patience is unmeasurable in what you have done for my family. From the start of picking up the pieces, you did not give up on us. Words cannot explain how thankful we are.  You have gone above and beyond, and we are, always and forever thankful to you, a remarkable person."