Sarah C. Otto

Sarah Otto is an associate with Foulston’s litigation and employment practice group in the firm’s Kansas City office. Sarah’s practice includes commercial litigation, employment disputes, and data-privacy counseling. 

Sarah serves a wide range of clients in contract disputes, including global, regional, and local businesses and governmental entities. She has obtained successful defense verdicts for clients in both jury and bench trials in state and federal courts. She has also successfully litigated appeals in Kansas, Missouri, and the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals.

Sarah defends employers in workplace litigation and administrative charges. She helps employers review and develop employment policies with the goal of avoiding costly litigation and advises business owners, general counsel, and human resource professionals on sensitive employment issues, including retaliation, discrimination, and harassment claims.

In her data-privacy counseling practice, Sarah helps clients understand, prepare for, and respond to data-protection challenges. She reviews and drafts privacy and data-security policies to help minimize potential legal exposure. Sarah also assists clients in responding to data-security breach incidents and determining data-breach notification and disclosure obligations.

Sarah graduated Order of the Coif from the University of Kansas School of Law, where she honed her writing and advocacy skills by participating in three national moot court competitions and serving as an associate editor of the Kansas Law Review. Before attending KU, Sarah earned a Bachelor of Science cum laude in history and political science from Kansas State University, where she competed nationally in collegiate policy debate.

Sarah currently serves as a lecturing professor at the University of Kansas School of Law. In her free time, Sarah enjoys watching Formula 1 races, listening to live music, and walking her golden retriever. 

Education

• University of Kansas School of Law (J.D., 2018)
  Order of the Coif; Rice Merit Scholar; Kansas Law Review, Associate Editor; CALI Excellence for the Future Awards: Contracts, Lawyering I, Lawyering II, Federal Indian Law, International Law and Literature; University of Kansas In-House Moot Court Competition, Champion; National Native American Law Student Association Moot Court Tournament
• Kansas State University (B.S. in History and Political Science, cum laude, 2015)

Admissions

• Kansas (2018)
• Missouri (2021)
• U.S. District Court for the District of Kansas (2018)
• U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit (2020)

• Employment & Labor
• Litigation & Disputes
• Noncompete & Trade Secret Litigation
• Privacy & Data Security
• Energy
• Renewable Energy, Electric Storage & Transmission

• Energy & Natural Resources

• Selected by peers for inclusion in Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch® in the areas of Commercial Litigation, Litigation - Banking and Finance, Litigation - Labor and Employment, and Privacy and Data Security, 2023-2026
• American Bar Association
• Kansas Bar Association
• Johnson County Bar Association
• Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association
• The Earl E. O’Connor American Inn of Court
• Kansas Association of Defense Counsel Young Lawyers Committee, Vice President, 2021
• Junction City Chamber of Commerce, Crossroads of Leadership participant

• Shawnee Chamber of Commerce, Shawnee Tomorrow Leadership Program, Class of 2025

2025

• Kansas Law Mail Bag (Foulston Siefkin LLP, Employment Law Institute)

2024

• Employment Law Squares (Foulston Siefkin LLP, Employment Law Institute)

2022

• Unconscious Bias and the Automatic Mind (Foulston Siefkin LLP, Employment Law Institute Webinar Series)
• Implicit Bias and the Automatic Mind (DisruptHR Topeka)

2021

• Understanding Unconscious Bias and the Automatic Mind (Foulston Siefkin LLP, Corporate Counsel Series: Ethics and Elimination of Bias)
• One Year In: A Look at the Latest COVID-Related Employment Law Issues and Developments (Foulston Siefkin LLP, Employment Law Institute Webinar Series)
• Vaccinating the Workforce (Kansas State Council of SHRM, Employment Law and Employee Benefits Conference)
• Anatomy of an Employment Lawsuit (IPMA-HR Kansas Chapter) 

2020

• Once Upon a Time: Ethical Fairy (and Scary) Tales (Foulston Siefkin LLP, Corporate Counsel Series: Ethics 2020)
• Employment Missteps in the COVID World (IPMA-HR Kansas Chapter)
• Implicit Bias & Cultural Competency (City of Olathe)
• Anatomy of an Employment Lawsuit (KS PRIMA)

2019

• Nuts and Bolts of Ethically Using Expert Witnesses (Johnson County Bar Association, Civil Litigation Section)

2025

• Tort Law Desk Reference: A Fifty-State Compendium (2025 ed.), Author, Kansas Section
  - Wolters Kluwer

2024

• Kansas - Sectorial Privacy Overview, March 2024
  - OneTrust DataGuidance

2022

• Tort Law Desk Reference: A Fifty-State Compendium (2022 ed.), Author, Kansas Section
  - Wolters Kluwer
• Lex Mundi Global Data Privacy Guide (2022 ed.), Author, Kansas Section
  - Lex Mundi
• Civil Procedure Chapter
• - Kansas Bar Association, 2022 Kansas Annual Survey of Law
• Software, Algorithms, and AI: New EEOC Guidance for Employers
  - HR Daily Advisor, September 13, 2022
• Jury to Decide if Fired Truck Driver was Victim of Disability, Age Bias
  - Midwest Employment Law Letter, Vol. 3, No. 5
• Kansas - Sectorial Privacy Overview, April 2022
  - OneTrust DataGuidance
• Discriminating Droids: What Employers Should Know About Artificial Intelligence
  - HR Daily Advisor, March 2, 2022

2021

• What KS Employers Should Know About Rising Unemployment Fraud
  - Midwest Employment Law Letter, Vol. 2, No. 6
• Tort Law Desk Reference: A Fifty-State Compendium (2021 ed.), Author, Kansas Section
  - Wolters Kluwer
• Lex Mundi Global Data Privacy Guide (2021 ed.), Author, Kansas Section
  - Lex Mundi

2020

• The 19th Amendment: Commemorating 100 Years
  - Journal of the Kansas Bar Association, Vol. 89, No. 8
• Is 'Ok, Boomer' Enough to Show Age Discrimination?
  - Midwest Employment Law Letter, Vol. 1, No. 6
• U.S. Supreme Court Decides Kansas Identity Theft Case
  - Midwest Employment Law Letter, Vol. 1, No. 5
• Weather and Work: Save This Article for a Rainy Day
  - Midwest Employment Law Letter, Vol. 1, No. 4

2019

• Animals at Work: In-Fur-Mation for Employers
  - HR Daily Advisor, December 18, 2019
• Most Overland Park Employers Subject to New Nondiscrimination Ordinance
  - Kansas Employment Law Letter, Vol. 26, No. 9
• Arbitration Provisions Enforceable in ERISA Fiduciary Duty Cases
  - Kansas Employment Law Letter, Vol. 26, No. 7
• Have a Plan to Address the Recognized Hazards of Workplace Violence
  - HR Daily Advisor, June 3, 2019
• U.S. Supreme Court Will Hear Kansas Identity Theft Case
  - Kansas Employment Law Letter, Vol. 26, No. 3
• Is it Time to Update your Parental Leave Policy?
  - Kansas Employment Law Blog
• A Budding New Law: Medical Marijuana’s Impact Continues to Grow
  - Kansas Employment Law Letter, Vol. 26, No. 1

2020

• Coronavirus: Kansas Gov. Issues Statewide Stay-At-Home Order
• Coronavirus: Stay-at-Home Orders