Kara M. Swasey

Kara M. Swasey is a director at Bayard. She concentrates her practice in the area of family law, including divorce, custody, child support, adoption, guardianship and protection from abuse. She provides litigation support to Bayard’s bankruptcy, corporate and commercial law practices.

Kara is also a certified Family Court mediator and is willing and able to assist families resolve their matters outside of Court. In 2011, Kara completed an intensive professional training program in the art of family law advocacy at the National Institute for Trial Advocacy’s Family Law Advocacy Institute.

Kara is very active in the local and national legal community as well as the broader community. She is active in the Delaware Bar Association and holds officer roles in the American Bar Association and the Melson-Arsht Inn of Court, where she has twice been nominated by the Melson-Arsht Inn of Court to speak at the new attorney admissions ceremony. Additionally, she serves as a Reporter on the Access to Justice Commission’s Subcommittee on Judicial Branch Coordination in Helping Pro Se Litigants.  Kara also currently serves on the Board of Directors for Delaware Volunteer Legal Services (DVLS), an organization that provides quality pro bono legal services to indigent Delawareans. She also volunteers for DVLS, the Domestic Violence Advocacy Program, the Limited Legal Assistance Program, the Federal Re-entry Legal Assistance Program, and the Office of the Child Advocate. Since 2023, Kara has served on the St. Mark's Advisory Committee and served many years as an attorney coach for the school's Mock Trial Team. Kara has also served since 2022 on the Board of Directors for Waggies by Maggie and Friends, a non-profit dog treat company aiming to employ persons with intellectual disabilities.

Kara joined Bayard in 2007 after earning her J.D. and M.B.A. from Villanova University. She is admitted to practice law in Delaware and Pennsylvania. During law school, Kara was a Research Assistant to Professor Ann Carey Juliano.
 

Awards & Rankings

• Martindale-Hubbell AV® Peer Review Rated*
• American Bar Foundation, Fellow
• Chambers High Net Worth Guide, 2022 - 2024
• LawDragon 500 Leading Family Lawyers,  2024, 2025 Editions
• Best Lawyers®, Family Law and Family Law Mediation, 2021 - 2025 Editions
• Best Lawyers in America© Lawyer of the Year, Family Law, Wilmington, Delaware, 2025
• Delaware Today Top Lawyers Edition, Family Law, 2015 - 2023
• Super Lawyers® Delaware Rising Star, Family Law, 2014 - 2022
• State of Delaware Office of the Child Advocate Service to Children Award {for longstanding commitment to Delaware's children}, 2019
• Christopher W. White Distinguished Access to Justice Commitment Award {for dedication to pro bono work in the state of Delaware}, 2017
• Delaware State Bar Association Young Lawyers Distinguished Service Award {for leadership and service to the cause of good citizenship}, 2017 

*AV Preeminent and BV Distinguished are certification marks of Reed Elsevier Properties Inc., used in accordance with the Martindale-Hubbell® certification procedures, standards and policies. Ratings reflect the confidential opinions of members of the Bar and the Judiciary. Martindale-Hubbell ratings fall into two categories: legal ability and general ethical standards.