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Sarah Wake

Sarah K. Wake Partner

Chicago T +1 312 849 8238 F fax +1 312 698 4538
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Sarah, co-leader of the firm’s Higher Education Practice Group and Sports Industry Team, knows firsthand the complex legal and compliance challenges that corporations and educational institutions face, having served almost a decade as in-house counsel and a senior leader at top universities.

A skilled litigator, Sarah represents a wide range of higher education clients — including top research institutions, liberal arts colleges and institutions with Division I athletics programs  — on issues related to faculty tenure and promotion; student and employee unionization; discrimination and harassment policy, investigations and hearings; Title IX compliance; athletics (including coaching contracts, hazing, NCAA compliance and NIL); admissions; student conduct; diversity and inclusion; the Clery Act; the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act; and physical and digital accessibility. Chambers USA and Legal 500 United States have recognized Sarah as a leading lawyer in education law.

Sarah also defends corporations in employment-related claims including those under the Fair Labor Standards Act, the Family and Medical Leave Act, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, and state discrimination and wage and hour laws. Sarah routinely conducts high-profile and sensitive internal investigations for corporations, including Fortune 500 companies. Legal 500 United States has recognized Sarah as a leading lawyer in employment disputes.

Sarah returned to McGuireWoods after spending almost 10 years in higher education, the last five of which she spent in Northwestern University’s Office of General Counsel. In this role, her principal areas of responsibility included student-related issues, athletics, and matters related to diversity, equity, and inclusion for students, faculty, and staff. While at Northwestern, Sarah was an active member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association’s Division I Committee on Infractions, which is charged with deciding cases involving alleged rules violations by NCAA member institutions and their employees. Sarah was an inaugural member of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine’s Action Collaborative on Preventing Sexual Harassment in Higher Education. Sarah was previously the Title IX Coordinator, Affirmative Action Office, and Section 504/ADA Coordinator at the University of Chicago. In this role, she oversaw the university’s response to complaints of discrimination and harassment by students, faculty and staff.

Sarah served as a law clerk for the United States Attorney’s Office and as an intern in the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office, where she focused on various criminal matters including sexual assaults.

Experience
  • Represented universities and athletics organizations in litigation against current and former students, faculty, and staff in claims of discrimination and harassment (including Title VI, Title VII, and Title IX), breach of contract (including student conduct matters), consumer protection, and tort, including on motions for immediate injunctive relief.
  • Managed large-scale litigation in defense of whistleblower, class-action vacation pay, and employment discrimination claims for top biotech and pharmaceutical companies.
  • Represented educational institutions and corporations before state and federal agencies, including the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights, the Department of Justice, and the Department of Health and Human Services regarding a variety of issues, including allegations of discrimination in admissions, antisemitism, and sex discrimination.
  • Conducted high profile investigations on sensitive matters for K – 12 schools, colleges, universities, and corporations, including on issues related to head coach misconduct, sexual assault, hazing, race discrimination, financial impropriety, and research misconduct.
  • Represented and advised top research institutions in matters related to student and faculty unionization, athletics compliance, internal and external investigations, student privacy, fundraising, discrimination and harassment (including Title IX), student and employee disciplinary processes, student financial aid, accommodating individuals with disabilities, minors on campus, international programs and activities, diversity, equity, and inclusion, and the Clery Act.
  • Helped manage public relations matters for universities, including drafting press statements and developing strategy.
  • Developed and conducted university-wide training (including for senior leadership and board members) regarding discrimination, harassment, sexual misconduct, and retaliation and oversaw all internal and external investigations and disciplinary processes regarding the same.
  • Provided advice and trainings related to affirmative action programs, job postings, policies, accommodating applicants and employees with disabilities, and personnel issues.

Events

Insights

  • Selected for inclusion in Leading Lawyers, Higher Education, Nationwide, 2025, Chambers USA
  • Selected for inclusion in “Legal 500 United States,” Education; Labor and Employment Disputes, 2024, 2025

“Sarah Wake knows higher education inside and out.”

- Chambers USA, 2025

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