For Estate Planning, In Karen Moore '75 We Trust
During law school, Karen Moore '75 kept an open mind when it came to selecting the area of law in which she would eventually concentrate and specialize. Because she'd enjoyed her tax and property classes, upon joining the law firm of Bricker & Eckler, she requested estate planning assignments in line with Professor Shipman's advice.
Karen also requested litigation work, and enjoyed it, but says, "After being involved in two trials, I appreciated how little control litigators had over their schedule." It was then that she requested a full-time assignment in the estate planning department. "The firm definitely needed anther lawyer in the estate planning area, so the assignments in that area continued to increase," Karen explains. She goes on to say, "I felt that estate planning offered the intellectual challenges and client contact that I was seeking and that it would also afford me the ability to have more control over my schedule."
That control has allowed Karen to have significant involvement in a number of professional- and community-based organizations. Currently, Karen is very active in two professional organizations related to her practice area. "I just began a two-year term as chair of the Estate Planning, Trust and Probate Law Section of the Ohio State Bar Association (OSBA), which is one of its two largest sections." She notes that the section "proposes changes to Ohio laws in the area of estate tax, trust and probate."
She is also heavily involved with the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (ACTEC). ACTEC consists of approximately 2,700 lawyers from throughout the U.S., 93 of which hail from Ohio. "ACTEC is an association of trust and estate lawyers who are elected by their peers on the basis of their skill and experience in trust and estate law, their character, and their contributions to the improvement of the body of trust and estate law," she explains. Karen currently serves as treasurer of ACTEC. It is anticipated that she will serve as president in the 2010-2011 term.
Karen's commitment to service extends into the broader Columbus community as well. In the past, Karen has served as a board member, and later as president, of the boards of the Wesley Glen Retirement Center, the Columbus Cancer Clinic, and the Upper Arlington Chamber of Commerce. She's also served as a board member at The Wellington School. Karen says, "The Wellington School is an independent school that my two children attended. I chaired the Development Committee and was lucky enough to be involved in starting the school's endowment fund." Noting that the school was founded in 1981, she goes on to say, "Working with a young school was very rewarding; there were many challenges and I felt that my contributions were helping the school to become a better institution. I could see the difference that the school made in the lives of other children."
Currently, Karen serves as board secretary, trustee and co-chair of the Development Committee for the Columbus Symphony Orchestra, as well as co-chair of the Professional Council of the Columbus Foundation. Through her service to the Columbus Symphony Orchestra, Karen has learned, "The business of running a symphony orchestra is incredibly complex." She says, "My work with the Columbus Symphony Orchestra has reinforced and reaffirmed the importance of art in nourishing the soul; music inspires and touches without the limits imposed by words."
When asked who, or what, has provided inspiration to Karen throughout her career, she says, "One individual who comes to mind is the senior minister at my church, the late Reverend E. Eugene Frazer. He was a wise man who cared deeply about people, saw them as individuals, and accepted everyone despite his or her shortcomings. He was superb at building consensus and did so by giving credit to everyone other than himself." One might guess that the individuals with whom Karen has come into contact through her many service activities would say the same of her.
Friends wishing to get in touch can reach her at KMoore@bricker.com.
