About Karen Iles
Karen is the founder of Violet Co Legal & Consulting.
Having spent years in Corporate Social Responsibility and Pro Bono roles for large corporates and a decade working in advocacy-focused non-government organisations, Karen wanted to make change “her way”. A focus on women, gender diverse and First Nations social justice is at the core of all that we do at Violet Co.
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LLB (Law) | Grad Cert Applied Law (Dispute Resolution) | Grad Dip Legal Practice | BA (Women’s Studies) | Graduate Australian Institute Company Directors
Practising Solicitor| Nationally Accredited Mediator | Business Founder of a Certified Indigenous Business and Certified Social Enterprise
Karen Iles is the Founder and Principal Solicitor of Violet Co Legal & Consulting - a woman-led, Indigenous-led, social enterprise. Violet Co’s purpose is to create radical solutions and just outcomes for women and First Nations people.
In 2025 Karen was named a finalist in the NSW Premier’s Women of the Year Awards.
In 2023 Karen was awarded Private Practitioner of the Year by Women Lawyers Association of NSW. In 2022 Karen was awarded the inaugural NSW Law Society Pro Bono Service Award (2022) in recognition of her outstanding service to the NSW Legal Profession and the Community. Karen’s advocacy work was recognised in the Australian Human Rights Commission 2022 Annual Oration delivered by Professor Larissa Behrendt.
Karen holds a number of current Non-Executive Director board roles - OurWatch, The National Justice Project, First Australians Capital and Deadly Hearts ltd.
She was appointed to the Australian Law Reform Commission’s Expert Advisory Group for their current Inquiry into Justice System Responses to Sexual Violence and the Australian Catholic Safeguarding panel in 2022 to review claims of sexual assault within the Catholic Church institutions. Karen is a current appointee to the NSW Law Society Employment Law Committee.
Karen was born and raised on Darkinjung land and now lives on both Darkinjung and Gadigal Land, Australia. Karen is a Dharug Aboriginal diyin (woman) and has family connections to the Gunanday (Rainbow River) area of Dyarubbin (the River - the Hawkesbury River). Karen has Scottish and English heritage and is hopeful of an Independent Scotland one day!
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Recent media
Women’s Agenda - First Nations women who have blazed a trail & those who are keeping the flame alight (13 July 2023)
9Honey - Workplace's cruel act after Karen reported sexual harassment: 'Nothing happens' (4 July 2023)
Mamamia 'The mass silencing of women.' The real-world impact of allegations made at Parliament house.’ (21 June 2023)
Illawarra Mercury - Police and our justice system have got to pass the pub test and quickly Opinion Piece by Karen Iles (20 May 2023)
Change Makers Podcast - Karen Iles – ChangeMaker Chat (14 March 2023)
Courier Mail - sexual assault and schoolies
ABC Radio (December 2022) - sexual assault law reform in light of Bruce Lehrmann trial outcome
ABC News (November 2022) - workplace sexual harassment
Australian Institute of Company Directors (September 2022) - workplace sexual harassment & assault
ABC (April 2022) - Illawarra Women’s Trauma Recovery Centre establishment
Recent media (2022) - personal story regarding sexual assault, police accountability and access to counselling services
The Guardian Australia - ‘Unspeakable trauma’: police in Queensland and NSW failed to investigate alleged gang rape of 14-year-old girl, records show (4 Oct 2022) - Guardian investigation into police (mis)handling of Karen’s reports of aggravated child sexual assault
A Current Affair - Woman's fight for justice decades after alleged rape (17 Oct 2022)
ABC Radio National Speaking Out hosted by Professor Larissa Behrendt - The path to Justice: police accountability and systemic reform (16 Oct 2022)
The Chaser Report - An Unacceptable Cop-Out (11 Oct 2022)
Women’s Agenda - Karen Iles’ campaign for law reform to compel police to investigate sexual assault (11 Oct 2022)
MamaMia - For 18 years, I've been trying to get police to investigate my sexual assaults. I'm still waiting. (21 November 2022)
ABC 7.30 (TV and print) - Sexual assault support services struggling to cope with record demand (18 May 2022)
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Sydney Opera House, All About Women Festival (12 March 2023) the War on Women panel
Sydney Opera House, All About Women Festival (12 March 2023) Shame-less panel
EY Australia & Asia Pacific (16 Days of Activism to eliminate Violence Against Women)
RASARA Rape & Sexual Assault Research & Advocacy (16 Days of Activism to eliminate Violence Against Women)
Unions NSW (16 Days of Activism to eliminate Violence Against Women)
Norman Disney & Young (National Reconciliation Week)
University of Newcastle (National Reconciliation Week)
The Sydney Women’s Club (International Women’s Day)
NSW Parliament for Full Stop Australia
Teach Us Consent - various round table events
BEING mental health annual conference keynote
Booking Karen Iles as a speaker
Karen Iles is registered with the Speaking Out Agency. You can view her speaker’s profile and contact her here.
Topics and ideal audience
Karen speaks on a variety of topics in her professional realm including; women and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people’s issues with the justice system, Workplace discrimination, Workplace sexual harassment and assault, good governance, diversity, equity and inclusion programs, corporate social responsibility, social justice and the value of mediation and alternative dispute resolution in workplace and community contexts.
She focuses on practical steps that businesses, organisations and teams can take to create change for women and First Nations' peoples. She blends legal and consulting trends with personal experience and (de-identified) real life client examples to motivate change.
Karen also speaks publicly, and in the media, about her personal lived experience of sexual assault, police accountability and the justice system to inspire social change and motivate others to overcome adversity.