Karen Sandrik

Karen Sandrik will join the Marquette University Law faculty in summer 2024 from the Willamette University School of Law, where she has served as the Maynard & Bertha Wilson Professor of Law and associate dean for faculty. During spring 2025, she is serving as a U.S. Global Fulbright Scholar at Comenius University Bratislava in Slovakia.

At Marquette Law School, Professor Sandrik will teach a variety of courses, including Contracts, Business Associations, and Patents. She brings experience in simulation-based learning through courses such as Deals and Intellectual Property Law & Practice.

Professor Sandrik’s research focuses on the intersection of patent and commercial law. Her research has appeared in numerous journals including the Texas A&M Law Review, Michigan Technology Law Review, Harvard Journal of Law & Technology, University of Pennsylvania Journal of International Law, and the SMU Law Review.

Prior to entering academia, Professor Sandrik practiced as an associate in the intellectual property group at Troutman Pepper Locke (formerly Troutman Sanders), where she was a member of the Patent Litigation Team and Franchise & Distribution Team.

Professor Sandrik brings a unique combination of legal expertise and athletic achievement to Marquette Law School. As a former member of the U-23 U.S. National Soccer Team, she offers perspectives that may particularly interest students drawn to Marquette Law’s sports law program. Her classroom approach reflects her sporting background—energetic, strategic, and always in motion—creating an environment where students benefit from both her legal knowledge and her dynamic teaching methods.