Karl J. Sandstrom

Senior Counsel

Washington, D.C.

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Karl is a nationally recognized authority on the regulation of political activity.

With experience as a commissioner at the Federal Election Commission and chief election counsel in the U.S. House of Representatives, Karl Sandstrom represents clients before federal and state courts, administrative agencies, and legislative bodies in matters arising in ethics and lobbying, campaign finance, corporate governance, civil service, and tax law. He has authored multiple briefs in the Supreme Court of the United States and federal courts of appeal and has testified before House and Senate committees of the U.S. Congress.

Karl writes and speaks frequently on governmental regulation of the political process. He is a regular contributor to the Harvard Corporate Law Forum and the Columbia Law School Blue Sky Blog. He was contributing author to Corporate Political Responsibility, published by Cambridge University Press. He has written for national publications, including the New York Times and the Washington Post. Karl is a regular speaker at conferences and programs examining lobbying, campaign financing, and how the government regulates politics. He also taught political law at the American University School of Law.

Additionally, Karl maintains an active pro bono practice. In recognition for his pro bono work on behalf of the Conference of Chief Justices, he was inducted into the Warren Burger Society. Working with the Zicklin Center for Governance and Business Ethics at the Wharton School of Business, Karl developed the widely used CPA-Zicklin Index of Corporate Political Disclosure and Accountability that annually evaluates the political accountability practices of the country’s thousand largest companies. In his advisory role with Zicklin Center, he also developed a Model Code of Conduct for Political Conduct for public companies.

Areas of focus

Services

Political Law

Education & Credentials

Education

Georgetown University Law Center, LL.M., Taxation, 1983
The George Washington University Law School, J.D., 1976
University of Washington, B.A., 1972

Bar and Court Admissions

District of Columbia

Related Employment

Federal Election Commission, Washington, D.C., Commissioner, 1998-2002
U.S. Department of Labor, Administrative Review Board, Washington, D.C., Chairman, 1994-1998
Association of State Democratic Chairs, Washington, D.C., General Counsel, 1992-1993
American University, Washington, D.C., Adjunct Professor, 1989-1993
U.S. House of Representatives, Subcommittee on Elections, Washington, D.C., Staff Director, 1988-1992
U.S. House of Representatives, Speaker's Task Force on Electoral Reform, Washington, D.C., Staff Director, 1989-1991
Democratic National Convention, Rules Committee, Washington, D.C., Staff Director, 1988
U.S. House of Representatives, Committee on House Administration, Washington, D.C., Deputy Chief Counsel, 1979-1988
Democratic National Committee, Washington, D.C., Counsel, 1977-1979

Professional Recognition

American Bar Association, Fellow, 2014
National Center for State Court’s Warren E. Burger Society, Member

Impact

Professional Leadership

National Center for State Court’s Amicus Committee, Member
Washington College of Law, American University, Lecturer
Zicklin Center for Business Ethics Research, Wharton School of Business, Board of Advisors

Insights

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January 26, 2022