NCSB Journal Summer 2026

for her long-term health,” she said. Kayley will be the first to say that office culture in the Union County PD office nurtures a healthy work-life balance. “Now, when you go on vacation you can actually be on vaca tion because you have teammates who are checking on things for you while you are away.” And while Karen has worked ardently to learn an entirely new practice area of the law, she said her “old brain” loves the new chal lenge. “In representing these parents, I have an empathy for them because, having had children, I know some of the frustrations that parents go through,” said Karen. “Now, by and large, these folks have had other chal lenges that I have not faced. I think addic tion is a huge problem, and I have said many times if you took addiction out of the pic ture, I think there would be so many fewer cases in DSS court. Karen shared, “I can’t imagine—with my own children—going down the path that some folks have, and dealing with some of the things that have ocurred. But I can also see how those things can happen because there are so many forces working against them that are not their fault—whether it’s socio-economic issues, resources, etc. If you see where folks come from and you meet them where they are, I am already seeing that it can make a difference.” For both attorneys, the secret to success and doing fulfilling work is listening to people, having them feel heard, and working through their issues together. The Family Treatment Court (FTC) and DWI Treatment Court (DWITC) are where Karen said she has seen the most sig nificant impact in her tenure as an APD. “It’s not anything I’ve done. I mean, that’s their work. They’re the ones putting in the time in terms of getting their lives on track, not using, and so on. But it’s neat seeing the dynamic of all the pieces coming together and working toward helping those families.” Karen said that working under Chief District Court Judge Erin S. Hucks’ over sight of treatment courts has been invaluable as she works to gain her footing. “I’ve really enjoyed my involvement with the FTC and DWITC. And I am especially looking for ward to working with the new Veterans Treatment Court, which is brand new this fall. My father and grandfather were veter The Ability to Empathize Goes a Long Way

ans, and the opportunity to help other vet erans feels like a special way to honor their memories.” Karen Comes on Board Just in Time to Witness a Milestone During Karen’s first week on the job, in August, and before she had any cases of her own, she was able to watch Kayley in action, trying her third jury case of 2025, which was also the third jury case of her career. It was a high stakes, high level felony—and she watched Kayley litigate a victory for her client. A man who was facing 50 years in prison for a crime he allegedly committed as a juvenile was ultimately acquitted of all charges after the jury deliberated for just one hour. “I watched the trial,” Karen said. “I didn’t get to see the whole thing, but I saw a lot of it. And I was so proud. It is hard to articulate.” Kayley said, “Luckily it was a good out come. I know it’s not always going to be that way…My philosophy is: At the end of the day, there are a lot of clients that have crappy situations and that have bad facts. And while I can’t make their facts better, I can make sure that they know that they had someone who fought at every opportunity for them, who saw them, who heard them, and who tried to make sure that other people heard them, too.” Where the Passion Comes From Whenever Kayley is questioned about her career choice, she welcomes the conversa tion, “It’s not about money. You can care about things that don’t affect you. Crazy concept!” she said. “I want to actually help people. I also don’t want to work 80 hours a week and be a slave to my job…I want to go do Bright Star , you know? And as much as my bosses will be mad at me for saying this (because they don’t ever want me to work overtime), I put in more work during trial weeks—pretty much sunup to sundown. I do this not because I was told to, or expected to, but because I wanted a good outcome. And putting in that kind of work for a case where you feel like you are fighting for jus tice and where you have this thing that’s so much bigger than you—it’s somebody else’s life or quality of life, so it’s important—I cannot imagine doing anything else.” Karen has no regrets about changing careers and joining her daughter in the Union County courtrooms. To say she is proud of Kayley is truly an understatement.

“Kayley had a teacher in middle school who said she could do anything she wanted, but he just hoped she didn’t burn herself out,” said Karen about her daughter. “She’s always been this sort of shooting star, giving her all to everything, and so I very much admire her and I always have…She is one reason why I was able to make this leap of faith to try something new. I’ve seen how passionate she is in everything she does, and I want to be a part of it. I don’t want to get in her way, but I have very much enjoyed having the oppor tunity to be here and to see her pursuing her passion firsthand.” Equally proud of her mother, Kayley added, “I think a lot of my fighting spirit and my compassion for others obviously stems from watching her be that way my whole life, and we are very similar people. I think I am a better lawyer for it. But a lot of that is because she was the one reading to me when I was a toddler, she was the one who taught me to care about other people, and she was the one who took me to see my first musi cal…Theater has been such a big part of my life and obviously it’s responsible for a lot of my talents and interests, but within the the ater community there’s a lot of marginalized people who gravitate toward that space because it is such an accepting space for so many people who are cast out of traditional groups. My mom’s full support of that and her wearing the ‘drama mama’ T-shirts, going to Junior Theater Festivals, being my biggest cheerleader, and putting up with my ridiculous rehearsal schedules in high school mean more than words can say. I will go and see what she’s up to in court sometimes, and she will come watch what I’m doing. It’s so nice to get to see each other shine.” “I think that you end up where you’re supposed to be even if it takes a roundabout path to get there. And I’m proud that my mom had the courage to try something new. And it is definitely something that I hope to always be open to as well—to go for new opportunities, to continue to be able to, as she said, throw myself into things 110%. And especially to be brave enough to try new things—even at 57.” n Amanda Bunch is the communications spe cialist for the Office of Indigent Defense Services. She supports multiple IDS teams by delivering accurate and timely information to stakeholders through a combination of web, electronic and print media.

SUMMER 2026

18