Karen Wells Roby received a Bachelor of Science from Xavier University in 1983. She earned a Juris Doctor from Tulane University Law School in 1987 and was admitted to the Louisiana Bar in 1988. During her legal education, she was a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha.
Karen Wells Roby began her legal career as a Judicial Law Clerk to the Honorable Bernette Johnson of the Civil District Court for the Parish of Orleans, serving from 1987 to 1990. She subsequently practiced law as an associate with Bernard, Cassisa & Elliott in Metairie, Louisiana (1989–1994), before joining Deutsch, Kerrigan & Stiles, LLP in New Orleans (1993–1994). Her legal practice focused on civil litigation, including product liability, aviation law, professional liability, insurance defense, and toxic tort litigation.
Admitted to the Louisiana Bar in 1988, Roby was elected Judge of the Civil District Court for the Parish of Orleans in 1994. From October 1995 to October 1996, she also served as Judge Pro Tempore for Division "I" of the Civil District Court. In addition to her judicial duties, she served as Liaison to the Public Service Commission for the Louisiana State Bar Association Young Lawyers Section beginning in 1994, represented the Young Lawyers Council as an At-Large Representative, and was a member of the Louisiana Supreme Court Committee on Complex Litigation.
Roby has been affiliated with numerous professional legal organizations, including the New Orleans Bar Association, where she served as Secretary of the Commercial Law Section beginning in 1994, the Louisiana State Bar Association, the American Bar Association, the Federal Bar Association, the Jefferson Parish Bar Association, the American Inns of Court, the Louisiana Association of Defense Counsel, the National Bar Association, the Defense Research Institute, and the Young Lawyers Council.
