Karen Tokarz

Karen Tokarz is Professor of Law and inaugural Charles Nagel Professor of Public Interest Law and Policy at Washington University School of Law, where she has served since 1987. She directs the Negotiation & Dispute Resolution Program and Community Justice & Mediation Clinic, and serves as faculty advisor for the Washington University Journal of Law & Policy, Public Interest Law & Policy Speaker Series, and student organizations including OUTLaw and American Constitution Society.

Her educational background includes:

• B.A. in Social and Behavioral Science from Webster University (1970)
• J.D. from Saint Louis University (1976)
• LL.M. from University of California, Berkeley (1985)

Professor Tokarz's research centers on dispute resolution, civil rights, and clinical legal education, with specific expertise in mediation theory, women's legal history, and housing justice. Her work integrates social justice principles with practical legal solutions, particularly in eviction prevention and community mediation systems. She pioneered programs connecting legal education with real-world housing disputes through court-annexed mediation services.

Her recent publications (2020-2021) demonstrate urgent engagement with pandemic-era housing instability, analyzing mediation's role in eviction crises while examining historical contributions of women lawyers to legal practice. This scholarship bridges housing policy, gender studies, and dispute resolution theory, reflecting her career-long commitment to accessible justice systems.

Her major awards include:

• Best Lawyers in America (Mediation, 2010-present)
• International Academy of Mediators Distinguished Fellow (2019)
• Washington University Distinguished Faculty Award (2005)
• Multiple community service awards from Missouri legal organizations

Professor Tokarz has placed over 200 students internationally through the Global Public Interest Law Fellows Program and secured $1.4 million in 2021 for eviction mediation services. She serves on the Missouri Supreme Court Commission on Racial & Ethnic Fairness and previously advised the Ferguson Commission on Municipal Courts.

She founded the St. Louis Mediation Project (www.stlmediationproject.org), which provides free housing dispute resolution for 1,500+ households annually through law student mediators and community partnerships. The project operates within the Community Justice & Mediation Clinic framework, combining clinical education with direct community service in St. Louis Housing Courts.