Karyn M. Washington, Esq., LLC

My life has revolved around law since my teenage years, when I became certain that my vocation would be in the legal field. Growing up in Bay Village, Ohio, I had the opportunity to observe my mother, a paralegal, and her colleagues practice their profession with honor and ethical standards. This only reinforced my decision to pursue a career in law.

After spending a year at SUNY Buffalo, working at the law school dean’s office, I transferred to Baldwin-Wallace College to major in political science. I attended Whittier Law School in Costa Mesa, California, and later moved to Cleveland-Marshall College of Law, where I obtained my Juris Doctor in 2012. In December 2020, I was admitted to the Ohio bar.

Over the years, I have worked in various roles, including administrative assistant, legal assistant, legal secretary, and paralegal. I have had the chance to gain experience in a number of legal areas, such as personal injury, bankruptcy, and professional conduct.

I am involved with the Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association’s Mental Health and Wellness Committee and the Ohio Lawyers’ Assistance Program, where I lecture about the importance of recognizing and addressing mental illness and addiction before it adversely affects one's professional life. My passion is to fight the stigma surrounding substance abuse and mental health problems in the legal profession. There is no higher honor for me than to work towards this end.