Karla J. Shea

Karla J. Shea is a member of Swisher & Cohrt, P.L.C. in Waterloo, Iowa. Her practice includes Civil Litigation, Personal Injury, and Insurance Law. She handles matters involving injury claims and insurance disputes within a broader civil litigation practice. Her work concerns the legal responsibilities and competing positions that arise when parties disagree about an injury, property damage, or an insurance-related claim requiring legal representation.

Karla earned a BA from Iowa State University in 1987 and a JD from Drake University Law School in 1991. She was admitted to practice in Iowa in the same year as her law school graduation. Her education laid the foundation for a career in litigation and insurance matters, where legal analysis involves relating a client’s circumstances to the issues presented by the dispute.

Karla’s professional background includes insurance defense and litigation involving bodily injury and property damage claims. She has handled both plaintiff and defendant matters involving bodily injury and property damage. This background complements her civil litigation, personal injury, and insurance law practice in Waterloo. She is admitted before the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Iowa, where she was admitted in 1993, following her Iowa admission in 1991.

Karla J. Shea belongs to the Iowa State Bar Association, Iowa Defense Counsel Association, and Black Hawk County Bar Association. Her earlier professional service includes an Iowa Supreme Court grievance-related task force and the court’s Committee on Continuing Legal Education. These roles connect her legal practice with professional standards and attorney education. She continues to handle the civil litigation, personal injury, and insurance matters identified in her current practice.

Law Office Affiliations

• Attorney, Swisher & Cohrt, P.L.C.
• Member, Iowa State Bar Association
• Member, Black Hawk County Bar Association
• Past Member, Supreme Court Task force on Amendments to Iowa Grievance Committee
• Past Member, Iowa Supreme Court Committee on Continuing Legal Education
• Member, Iowa Defense Counsel Association

Licensed State

• Iowa

Education

• Drake University Law School
  Juris Doctor (JD)
• Iowa State University
  Bachelor of Arts (BA)

Awards & Badges