Karen Sharp is senior counsel in the San Francisco office of Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, where she is a member of the antitrust practice.
Prior to joining the firm, Karen was a trial attorney and prosecutor in the Antitrust Division of the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) for more than 20 years. As a trial attorney, she investigated and prosecuted national and international antitrust matters, including price-fixing, bid-rigging, and customer/market allocation. She also prosecuted related offenses, including obstruction of justice, false statements, mail and wire fraud, and government contract fraud. Karen successfully led the DOJ's first prosecution of government fraud under the federal E-Rate program. She also served as a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Eastern District of California for a multimillion-dollar tax fraud trial.
Karen began her legal career in the Office of the General Counsel at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, where she was Branch Chief of the Dallas regional office.
Karen Sharp is senior counsel in the San Francisco office of Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, where she is a member of the antitrust practice.
Prior to joining the firm, Karen was a trial attorney and prosecutor in the Antitrust Division of the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) for more than 20 years. As a trial attorney, she investigated and prosecuted national and international antitrust matters, including price-fixing, bid-rigging, and customer/market allocation. She also prosecuted related offenses, including obstruction of justice, false statements, mail and wire fraud, and government contract fraud. Karen successfully led the DOJ's first prosecution of government fraud under the federal E-Rate program. She also served as a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Eastern District of California for a multimillion-dollar tax fraud trial.
Karen began her legal career in the Office of the General Counsel at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, where she was Branch Chief of the Dallas regional office.
- J.D., Southern Methodist University Dedman School of LawMember and Associate Editor, Southwestern Law Journal; Associate Justice, Moot Court Competition
- B.F.A., Journalism, Southern Methodist UniversityMagna Cum Laude
- Member, Section of Antitrust Law, American Bar Association
- Member, California Lawyers Association
- Recipient, Assistant Attorney General's Award of Distinction, 2007 (E-Rate Program Fraud Prosecution Team) and 2014 (Auto Parts Prosecution Team)
- Recipient, FBI Award of Recognition for Outstanding Prosecutorial Skills
- J.D., Southern Methodist University Dedman School of LawMember and Associate Editor, Southwestern Law Journal; Associate Justice, Moot Court Competition
- B.F.A., Journalism, Southern Methodist UniversityMagna Cum Laude
- Member, Section of Antitrust Law, American Bar Association
- Member, California Lawyers Association
- Recipient, Assistant Attorney General's Award of Distinction, 2007 (E-Rate Program Fraud Prosecution Team) and 2014 (Auto Parts Prosecution Team)
- Recipient, FBI Award of Recognition for Outstanding Prosecutorial Skills
Select Publications
- Co-author, “DOJ and FTC ‘Signal’ That Companies Cannot ‘Slack’ on Preserving Ephemeral Messages,” Wilson Sonsini Alert, February 21, 2024
- Co-author, "Federal District Court Dismisses Justice Department's Latest 'No-Poach' Case Before Jury Deliberations," Employee Relations Law Journal, Autumn 2023
- Co-author with J. Lonergan, M. Rosman, J. Sack, B. Snyder, and J. VanHooreweghe, “Court Dismisses DOJ’s Latest ‘No-Poach’ Case Before Jury Deliberations,” Wilson Sonsini Alert, May 1, 2023
- Contributor, Antitrust Cartel Leniency and Sentencing Handbook, Antitrust Law Section, ABA, March 15, 2023
- Co-author with J. Sack and J. VanHooreweghe, "DOJ Secures First Criminal Guilty Plea in a No-Poach Case," Wilson Sonsini Alert, October 31, 2022
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Co-author with T. Helou, M. Casey, J. Lonergan, and S. Maughan, “DOJ Announces New Guidance on Corporate Criminal Enforcement,” Wilson Sonsini Alert, September 19, 2022
- Co-author with A. Keck and J. VanHooreweghe, "First DOJ Criminal Wage-Fixing and No-Poach Trials End in Acquittals," Wilson Sonsini Alert, April 18, 2022
- Co-author with J. Miller and J. VanHooreweghe, "DOJ Antitrust Division Updates Corporate Leniency Policy," Wilson Sonsini Alert, April 12, 2022
-
Co-author with J. VanHooreweghe, "Update on DOJ “No-Poach” and “Wage-Fixing” Criminal Antitrust Prosecutions," Wilson Sonsini Alert, December 7, 2021
- Co-author with R. Connolly, "Was Heir-Tracker Antitrust Indictment a Hair Too Late?" Law360, February 16, 2018
- Contributor, Criminal Antitrust Litigation Handbook, ABA Section of Antitrust Law, Second Edition
Select Speaking Engagements
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Panelist, “WWCDA San Francisco Bay Area Chapter Event on Voluntary Self-Disclosures,” Women’s White Collar Defense Association, April 23, 2024
- "Antitrust Update for the ABA Corporate Counseling Committee," ABA webinar, June 30, 2022
-
Guest Lecturer, Yeshiva University Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, February 2022
- Moderator, "ABA Bi-Monthly Cartel and Criminal Practice Update," American Bar Association, Antitrust Section, February 21, 2019
- Panelist, "Criminal Antitrust—Issues of Law from Indictment to Trial," ABA program, 2011
- Speaker, Conference of the Russian Federal Anti-Monopoly Service (FAS), the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and the Office of the Prosecutor General, Moscow, 2009
- Speaker, National Association of Corporate Counsel and ACC chapter meetings
- Guest Lecturer, SMU School of Law annual antitrust seminar, Dallas, Texas
- Presenter, antitrust training programs for federal and state procurement officials
Select Publications
- Co-author, “DOJ and FTC ‘Signal’ That Companies Cannot ‘Slack’ on Preserving Ephemeral Messages,” Wilson Sonsini Alert, February 21, 2024
- Co-author, "Federal District Court Dismisses Justice Department's Latest 'No-Poach' Case Before Jury Deliberations," Employee Relations Law Journal, Autumn 2023
- Co-author with J. Lonergan, M. Rosman, J. Sack, B. Snyder, and J. VanHooreweghe, “Court Dismisses DOJ’s Latest ‘No-Poach’ Case Before Jury Deliberations,” Wilson Sonsini Alert, May 1, 2023
- Contributor, Antitrust Cartel Leniency and Sentencing Handbook, Antitrust Law Section, ABA, March 15, 2023
- Co-author with J. Sack and J. VanHooreweghe, "DOJ Secures First Criminal Guilty Plea in a No-Poach Case," Wilson Sonsini Alert, October 31, 2022
-
Co-author with T. Helou, M. Casey, J. Lonergan, and S. Maughan, “DOJ Announces New Guidance on Corporate Criminal Enforcement,” Wilson Sonsini Alert, September 19, 2022
- Co-author with A. Keck and J. VanHooreweghe, "First DOJ Criminal Wage-Fixing and No-Poach Trials End in Acquittals," Wilson Sonsini Alert, April 18, 2022
- Co-author with J. Miller and J. VanHooreweghe, "DOJ Antitrust Division Updates Corporate Leniency Policy," Wilson Sonsini Alert, April 12, 2022
-
Co-author with J. VanHooreweghe, "Update on DOJ “No-Poach” and “Wage-Fixing” Criminal Antitrust Prosecutions," Wilson Sonsini Alert, December 7, 2021
- Co-author with R. Connolly, "Was Heir-Tracker Antitrust Indictment a Hair Too Late?" Law360, February 16, 2018
- Contributor, Criminal Antitrust Litigation Handbook, ABA Section of Antitrust Law, Second Edition
Select Speaking Engagements
-
Panelist, “WWCDA San Francisco Bay Area Chapter Event on Voluntary Self-Disclosures,” Women’s White Collar Defense Association, April 23, 2024
- "Antitrust Update for the ABA Corporate Counseling Committee," ABA webinar, June 30, 2022
-
Guest Lecturer, Yeshiva University Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, February 2022
- Moderator, "ABA Bi-Monthly Cartel and Criminal Practice Update," American Bar Association, Antitrust Section, February 21, 2019
- Panelist, "Criminal Antitrust—Issues of Law from Indictment to Trial," ABA program, 2011
- Speaker, Conference of the Russian Federal Anti-Monopoly Service (FAS), the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and the Office of the Prosecutor General, Moscow, 2009
- Speaker, National Association of Corporate Counsel and ACC chapter meetings
- Guest Lecturer, SMU School of Law annual antitrust seminar, Dallas, Texas
- Presenter, antitrust training programs for federal and state procurement officials
"Criminal Antitrust Investigations," February 9, 2022
"Criminal Antitrust Investigations," February 9, 2022
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