Biography

Karen Buttenbaum is a respected law school admissions professional with over 25 years of law school admissions experience.

  • From 2001-2013, she was a voting member of the admissions committee at Harvard Law School, reading and making decisions on over 16,000 applications and interviewing over 1,000 applicants during that time.
  • She held almost every position on the senior staff in the HLS admissions office, starting as an Assistant Director, moving up to Associate Director and most recently serving as Director. 
  • Prior to joining Harvard Law School, Karen assisted efforts in the admissions office at Roger Williams University School of Law, helping them to achieve significant admissions milestones. 
  • Throughout her career as a law school admissions officer, she was actively involved with the Law School Admission Council (LSAC), serving as a Test Development and Research Committee member, Annual Meeting Planning Committee member, faculty member for new admission professionals, and speaker at many LSAC-sponsored events and conferences.
  • She has been a member of the Northeast Association of Prelaw Advisors for many years, and a member of the Massachusetts Bar since 1997.

Personal Note

A former race junkie, Karen has completed three marathons and dozens of other races and triathlons of all distances, including finishing the Timberman Half-Ironman in New Hampshire. She now spends her spare time with her active teenage son and running after her dog Zorro.

truspilot-star 4truspilot-starWorth Every Penny

If application advising is an art, then Spivey Consulting are truly masters of the craft. My advisor, Karen Buttenbaum did not just offer generic guidance. She took the time to listen carefully and tailored her suggestions in way that empowered me to present my most authentic self. Throughout the process, she challenged me to think critically about my materials and helped me grow into a much better writer. From her detailed essay feedback to thoughtful follow-up emails, I always felt that Karen genuinely cared about my story and was deeply invested in my success. She was a steady blanket of security during what could have been an overwhelming process. Thanks to Karen and all the folks at Spivey, I achieved admission at my dream law school.

For all of this and more, Spivey Consulting was worth every penny.

Ryan Barry
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