Karine Sokpoh, a local attorney and advocate for equal justice, will be honored as a visionary figure in Omaha’s law community during the annual Barristers’ Ball celebration. 

An immigrant from Togo, Sokpoh runs a solo practice in Omaha known as Sokpoh Law Group LLC. She focuses on immigration, juvenile and intellectual property law, among other cases.

Sokpoh knew that she wanted to be a lawyer since she was about 13. The decision stemmed from a conversation about her homeland’s laws with her father. In Togo, men are allowed to marry multiple wives even though women cannot have multiple husbands.

“I remember asking my dad when I first found out at about 11 years old: “Why are people treated differently?” Sokpoh said. “He told me that men made the laws, and they made the laws to suit their preferences – so if women want it to change, they have to go to school and become lawyers and change the laws themselves.”

So that’s exactly what she did.

A Creighton University School of Law graduate, Sokpoh first worked at Koley Jessen PC LLO where she specialized in corporate law and trademarks. Before opening her own firm, she also worked with Lutheran Family Services on immigration cases.

As she works to change the laws herself, Sokpoh frequently takes “low bono” cases – below market-rate – from the Volunteer Lawyers Project and pro bono cases through the Immigrant Legal Center.

She wholeheartedly believes in lending a hand to those in need however you can.

For her, that’s offering help in the best way she knows how.

“I always believed that in any position you are always able to make a difference in somebody’s life,” Sokpoh said. “Any contribution that can be made to ensure that everyone has access to justice – whether that is private attorneys doing pro bono work or public organizations providing legal aid to indigents – is extremely important.”

Sokpoh is one of three lawyers being recognized with the Nebraska State Bar Association’s Visionary Award at the Barristers’ Ball this Saturday.

Though much of her work is done in the law office or the courthouse, Sokpoh also works to engage the communities she serves through education and engagement.

“We enjoy going into communities through churches and associations and doing seminars on immigration,” she said. “I really believe in educating the public before they get into trouble rather than waiting for them to get into trouble and come to me for advice.”

Though Sokpoh takes on a wide range of cases, she has a unique perspective not found in many immigration attorneys that can help to put her clients at ease. In those cases, Sokpoh has the perspective of someone familiar with the immigration system from the inside and out.

“I think my clients appreciate the fact that I know immigration laws and the system quite intimately from having gone through the process myself,” she said. “I am able to empathize with their plight. I am able to give them advice that’s not just from a book, but also from my lived experience.”

Find more information on Sokpoh and her legal practice at scolawgroup.com.