Faculty

Lisa Sparks, J.D.
Professor of Legal Practice

Lisa D. Sparks is a Professor of Legal Practice at Wilmington University Farnan School of Law, where she began teaching in 2026. She brings nearly two decades of experience spanning legal education, corporate leadership, and private practice. Before joining the Farnan School of Law, she served as a Practitioner in Residence and adjunct professor at the University of Baltimore School of Law from 2011 to 2025. During that time, the Student Bar Association presented her with the James May Award for teaching and mentoring in three of her four years as Practitioner in Residence. She has also taught at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County and the Community College of Baltimore County School of Justice. 

Professor Sparks teaches in the areas of the Uniform Commercial Code, construction law, contract drafting, and bar readiness. Her classroom approach is informed by substantial experience in commercial, construction, and surety law. She served as Chief Administrative Officer and General Counsel for The Schuster Companies from 2022 to 2026 and as fractional general counsel for DICORP, Inc. from 2018 to 2020. Her earlier career included partnerships at Maryland law firms, associate practice at Whiteford, and a judicial clerkship with the Honorable D. S. Eyler of the Maryland Court of Special Appeals. 

Her scholarship focuses on the practical application of legal theory to the construction industry and emerging issues in commercial law. Her publications include “The Regression of ‘Good Faith’ in Maryland Commercial Law” and papers for the American Bar Association Forum on the Construction Industry. She has also presented on surety obligations and ethical considerations at professional conferences. Professor Sparks currently chairs the Construction Law Section of the Maryland State Bar Association and provides limited mediation services for construction and commercial disputes. 

Professor Sparks earned her Juris Doctor, summa cum laude, from the University of Baltimore School of Law in 2007, where she was a Dean’s Scholar and represented her classmates as commencement speaker. She also earned a Bachelor of Arts in Jurisprudence, summa cum laude, from the University of Baltimore and was selected as commencement speaker.