About Kara Hoopis
Kara Hoopis Manosh grew up interested in politics and law. She earned a B.A. in political science from the University of Rhode Island in 2002. She then attended Roger Williams University School of Law, receiving her J.D. in 2005. After law school she pursued additional trial training and completed an LL.M. in Trial Advocacy, specializing in federal criminal law, at California Western School of Law in 2006.
Early in her legal training Manosh worked on projects that exposed her to both federal and post-conviction work. In 2005 she took part in case screening for the California Innocence Project, helping evaluate claims brought by people seeking to overturn convictions. The following year she served as an extern with the Federal Defenders of San Diego, where she observed federal criminal defense practice and courtroom procedure firsthand.
Manosh joined the Rhode Island Office of the Public Defender in 2007 as an assistant public defender in the Adult Trial Division. There she handled felony and misdemeanor cases at trial, representing clients in state court through arraignment, pretrial litigation and jury trials. Her time in public defense gave her extensive courtroom experience and a steady docket of contested hearings.
She is a member of the Rhode Island Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, a professional affiliation she has maintained since 2007. Manosh is admitted to practice in both Rhode Island and Massachusetts. Her academic work in trial advocacy and her hands-on courtroom years form the backbone of her litigation approach.
Manosh later moved into private practice and is now associated with Manosh Payette, LLC. In private practice she continues to try cases in state courts and handle complex criminal matters. Her background includes client counseling, trial preparation, motion practice and work on post-conviction screening matters.
Her career path reflects steady movement from student clinics and externships into public defense and then private litigation. She has balanced appellate and trial considerations learned during her LL.M. training with the practical demands of daily trial work. Colleagues and clients describe her as methodical in case preparation and direct in court, favoring evidence-based argument and clear presentation.
As of 2026 she practices law through Manosh Payette, LLC, handling criminal defense matters in Rhode Island and Massachusetts.
