About Kara
Kara Freel-Sparks earned a B.A. in Law & Society from the University of California, Santa Barbara and later received her J.D. from the University of Washington School of Law. Those two academic stops shaped how she thinks about the law: practical, community-oriented, and attentive to how rules affect families and children. Her legal education placed her in classrooms that tied doctrine to real-world problems, a through-line in her subsequent work.
After law school she established her practice in Washington. She has built a career in the state’s legal community, balancing private representation and public service. Freel-Sparks has taken on pro bono cases and volunteer roles that extend beyond the courtroom. Those efforts have kept her connected to the local legal ecosystem and to clients who need direct assistance.
She holds several current leadership and membership roles. She serves as president of the Washington Women Lawyers Whatcom County Chapter, a position that involves organizing members and programming at the county level. She is also a member of the ECI Interagency Coordination Council Advisory Board and belongs to the Council of Parents Lawyers and Advocates (COPAA). In addition, she volunteers as a pro bono lawyer for the Home Foreclosure Legal Aid Project.
Those associations point to the kinds of matters she takes on. Her work includes special education and disability-related advocacy, helping parents and guardians navigate administrative processes and disputes. She also provides assistance on housing and foreclosure matters through pro bono clinics and individual representations. Colleagues describe her approach as steady and practical. She focuses on clarifying procedural paths and helping clients understand what to expect at each stage.
On a typical day she splits time between client meetings, case preparation and outreach through professional groups. The leadership role in Washington Women Lawyers involves mentorship and coordinating educational events for local attorneys. Service on the ECI advisory board and membership in COPAA keep her engaged with policy and advocacy that affect children and families. Her pro bono work on foreclosures brings a different set of legal challenges, centered on housing stability and homeowner rights.
Kara Freel-Sparks practices in Washington and combines courtroom work, administrative advocacy and volunteer service in her caseload. Her current practice focuses on representing parents and families in education and disability matters while providing housing-related legal assistance through pro bono work.
