Karl Sandstrom

With experience as a commissioner at the Federal Election Commission and as 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 involving 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 the House and Senate committees of 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 a 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 speaker at conferences and programs examining lobbying, campaign financing, and government regulation of politics. He also taught political law at the American University Washington College of Law. 

Additionally, Karl maintains an active pro bono practice. In recognition of his pro bono work on behalf of the Conference of Chief Justices, he was inducted into the Warren E. Burger Society. Karl serves on the Executive Committee of Speak Up for Justice, an organization dedicated to preserving judicial independence  

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, which annually evaluates the political accountability practices of the country’s 1,000 largest companies. In his advisory role with the Zicklin Center, he also developed a Model Code of Conduct for Political Conduct for public companies.