Bio:

Kara M. Crismale joined The Bershtein Law Center in January 2023. Previously, she worked at Faulkner & Graves, P.C. beginning in 2002 and became a partner in 2012.  

Kara is a dedicated (some would say "fierce") advocate for her clients. She obtained a jury verdict in excess of $350,000 against a local car dealership whose negligence caused the wheel of a truck they serviced to fall off while driving down the highway. In that case, the insurance company refused to offer more than $50,000 for our client’s resulting shoulder injury. She also successfully pursued a negligence case against a residential group home after several neighboring homes were subjected to an attempted home invasion by an unstable resident of the group home. Kara secured a collective settlement of $1,325,000 for five traumatized Salem residents. She also secured a mediation settlement of $3,800,000 for the death of a young woman in a tragic car accident.  

Kara has successfully handled trials, mediations and arbitrations involving nursing home negligence, motor vehicle accidents, trucking, motorcycle and ATV accidents, drownings, premises liability accidents, and dog bites, just to name a few. 

Connecticut Magazine publicized her as a "Rising Star" from 2010 to 2015 based on her  ranking by Super Lawyers, a respected rating service. In 2012, Kara also achieved the  distinction of becoming board certified as a Civil Trial Advocate for the National Board of  Trial Advocacy. This honor is reserved for lawyers who demonstrate an enhanced level of skill and expertise in their field and prove it through rigorous examination of witnesses at trial, and testing their experience and knowledge by the NBTA. 

Kara's accomplishments led to her inclusion in the esteemed publication The Best Lawyers in America in 2020, and her designation each year since 2018 as a  Connecticut Super Lawyer by Super Lawyers. She is a member of the Connecticut Trial Lawyers Association (CTLA) and served as Chairwoman of the CTLA Women’s  Caucus. She is a member of the Connecticut Bar Association. 

Kara graduated from Colgate University in 1997 and obtained her law degree from  Quinnipiac University in May of 2002. A native of Guilford, she was a standout basketball player at Guilford High School and again at Colgate University. She was inducted into the Guilford High School Sports Hall of Fame (2009), the New Haven County Tap-Off High School Sports Hall of Fame (2012), and the Connecticut Women's Basketball Hall of Fame (2016). Kara lives in Northford.