Karen Liao is a Partner in the Orange County office of Manning Kass. She is a member of the Business Litigation, Restaurant, Retail, and Hospitality, and Sports, Recreation, and Attractions Law teams.

Ms. Liao is an experienced trial attorney who has successfully tried cases to verdict. She focuses her practice on the defense of health clubs, sports clubs, attractions, retailers, theaters, and other businesses in matters involving general liability, premises liability, and business litigation. With experience on both sides of litigation practice, Ms. Liao draws upon her diverse legal background to imbue her practice with a unique approach to effective client representation. 

As part of the firm's Sports, Recreation, and Attractions Law team, Ms. Liao has extensive expertise in the representation of health clubs, sports clubs, athletic associations, and attractions, including in the preparation of exculpatory agreements and membership agreements, general business consulting, loss prevention, and risk management and defense litigation. With respect to litigation, Ms. Liao possesses specialized expertise with respect to cases involving releases of liability and primary assumption of risk. 

Ms. Liao is admitted to the California State Bar, the United States District Courts for the Central, Northern, Southern, and Eastern Districts of California, and the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.

Prior to joining Manning Kass, Ms. Liao litigated numerous high-profile consumer and employment class actions, mass tort, wrongful death, and catastrophic personal injury cases as plaintiff’s counsel in both state and federal courts.

Ms. Liao received her Juris Doctor from Southwestern University School of Law. She also studied at the University of California, Los Angeles, and obtained a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology with a minor in Public Policy. Ms. Liao is fluent in Mandarin and Spanish.

Ms. Liao is also a member of the firm’s Mentoring and Training Committee.