Kara North '07
Kara H. North ’07 received her Bachelors of Science in business management from Utah Valley University and her juris doctor from S. J. Quinney College of Law at the University of Utah. She is now a managing attorney and trial lawyer at Moxie Law Group, a personal injury law firm in the Provo/Orem area and Texas. She is also the new president of the UVU Alumni Association Advisory Board and has volunteered for the recently launched UVU Alumni Job Shadow Program. Kara answered a few questions for us about her time at UVU, her career path, and three skills she attributes her professional success to.
What was one of your favorite memories at UVU?
I was blessed to have a lot of great memories and opportunities while at UVU. Some of my favorite memories were traveling with the Business Ethics Competition team to Southern California and competing against other colleges and universities at Loyola Marymount University. I also participated in a study abroad in London, England, for a summer semester. It was amazing, and London will always have my heart. Finally, in my senior year, I was selected to perform as a soloist with the UVU Symphony Orchestra. Performing my violin concerto in the Ragan Theater was a dream come true for me.
What was your path to your current career and why did you make these choices? Were you looking to work in law?
While taking Ethics and Values, I was encouraged by my professor to consider going to law school. I was opposed to it for a number of years, but when I took business law for my major, I found that I really enjoyed it. I knew I wanted to attend graduate school and ultimately decided to attend law school. The road to today hasn’t been easy, but I’m grateful to have found a career and passion for the law.
What are some of the key responsibilities of your role? What does a “day in the life” look like for you?
My responsibilities as a personal injury attorney usually involve a variety of several tasks. There is a lot of talking to clients, opposing attorneys, expert witnesses, and insurance adjusters. I also do a lot of writing, more than I ever expected I would, and several times per month, I’ll have hearings, or oral argument, on the briefs that were submitted.
Aside from that, I’m a small business owner, so we also have to stay on top of the marketing for our business, take care of the budget, and handle any personnel matters.
What is your favorite part of your job or what are you most proud of and why?
In the media, personal injury attorneys usually get a bad rap of being greedy ambulance chasers. Before I began doing personal injury, I had similar perceptions. Now, I realize it’s really about helping people when they are at their most vulnerable and can’t help themselves. I really value working in a profession where I can stand up against big corporations and help “the little guy or girl,” so to speak. My favorite part is when a client tells me that I’ve helped them feel heard or valued and enabled them to get back to their lives after a devastating injury or loss.
What is one of the key issues your industry is facing and your thoughts on addressing this challenge?
Trial by jury is one of the fundamental principles of our democracy. I’m currently working with the Utah Association for Justice to enhance the rules related to jury selection in Utah courts. I think this is a critical work that helps all parties know that they are receiving a fair and impartial jury panel when they come before the court to have their case heard.
What advice do you have for someone interested in your industry?
If someone is interested in pursuing a career in the law, I would say do your homework. It’s not all Suits and Law and Order. It’s a lot of late nights, long hours, and hard work. Law school is also very expensive. Both local law schools welcome interested students to sit in on a law school class, to have an idea of what that is like. However, the practice of law is very different than law school. One of the positives that came from the pandemic is that most court hearings are now available to be watched remotely. I would encourage people to not wait until they’re in law school to attend court and get a feel for what it’s really about. I believe anyone is capable of being a great lawyer if they are willing to put in the work. Finally, be open to opportunities and different areas of the law. I initially thought I was going to be a corporate lawyer, focusing on mergers and acquisitions, and took a lot of transactional law classes. The work I do now is completely different, and I’m grateful for that.
What are three transferable skills that you think contribute to professional success?
Three skills that have proven to be the key to success for me are:
- Prioritizing my time well
- Writing
- Treating others with kindness and respect
I like to be efficient with my work so I can spend quality time with family out of the office. I have worked to continuously improve my writing over the years, and it has proven to make a significant difference in my ability to advocate for my clients effectively. Finally, being kind and respectful to others. I recently had a potential client ask me why they should hire me over another firm/attorney. After complimenting the work of the other lawyer and firm, I made a few distinguishing points without disparaging the other attorney. The client hired me and told me it was because I didn’t speak poorly about the others that they decided to hire me over my competitor.
What’s something about you that might surprise people?
I love watching college football and basketball.
Is there anything else you’d like to say to the UVU community? Why does UVU matter to you?
There is an expression that says, “If you want to take the island, burn the boats.” This means to accomplish your goals, you’ve got to go all in. Don’t look for excuses or make a back-up plan. If you’ve burned the boats, there is no way to escape—your only option is moving forward toward your goal. UVU opened so many doors and opportunities for me because I chose to be committed and got involved. Burn the boats and take advantage of all that UVU has to offer.
Utah Valley University is proud of the impact our more than 100,000 alumni make in diverse industries. Visit the Alumni Stories blog page for more Wolverine Stories and alumni and student networking programs. For opportunities to give back to UVU, go to uvu.edu/evergreen.