KARIM BASARIA represents individuals, corporate clients, and many of the world’s largest professional services firms in high-stakes litigation, white collar, and regulatory enforcement matters. As a former Certified Public Accountant, Karim’s combination of legal and accounting skills has enabled him to play a leading role in a variety of matters involving complex financial accounting, economic damages, and audit issues. His experience includes multiple arbitrated disputes; federal securities class actions; civil litigation involving claims of breach of contract, fraud, unfair competition, and other business torts; internal investigations; and enforcement actions brought by the SEC and Public Company Accounting Oversight Board.
Karim is also actively involved in the firm’s recruiting efforts and plays a leading role in the legal community. He serves on the Summer Committee for the Chicago office and is active in Sidley’s training and mentoring programs. In addition, serves as a board member and Treasurer of Illinois Legal Aid Online, which for more than 20 years has provided tools that open opportunities to justice so that people with limited access to the legal system can solve their problems. Karim also is a board member of the Chicago Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights. Since 1969 the Lawyers’ Committee has operated as Chicago’s preeminent non-profit, civil rights legal organization, producing important victories in fair housing, hate crime, education, and other cornerstone civil rights cases.
Prior to law school, Karim was a Certified Public Accountant in Illinois, where his practice focused on financial statement audits of public entities and forensic accounting matters.