Karl was born in Stockton, California and attended Trinity Lutheran school for grades 1-8. He was student body president of Lincoln High School where he was class salutatorian, a three sport letterman. and an all-city football and basketball player. He received a football scholarship to UC Berkeley, and on the freshman team had touchdown receptions against USC and Stanford. He majored in Accounting and Finance and entered the USMC upon graduation in 1969. After working in aerospace (Northrup) and for a (then) big-8 accounting firm, he returned to UC Berkeley for law school and received his J.D. in 1974. Karl has practiced labor, employment, and benefit law for 50 years and is currently the co-chairman of the Labor & Employment Department of the law firm Parker, Milliken, Clark, O'Hara & Samuelian. Karl and Thurlene Collins have been married 3 years and have seven children, 17 grandchildren, and 2 great grandchildren between them. In addition to regular and continuous family events, they enjoy walks along the Esplanade kayaking, wine clubs from their favorite vineyards, traveling together and books of all kinds which they often read together.
