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Lisa A. Dolak L’88

“Dolak

Senior Vice President and University Secretary​

University Secretary: 2019-2023

Lisa A. Dolak is Senior Vice President and University Secretary at Syracuse University, and the Angela S. Cooney Professor of Law at the Syracuse University College of Law.

As University Secretary, she heads the office of the Board of Trustees, which is responsible for coordinating and facilitating the activities of the Board and its various committees to ensure the effective and efficient operation of the University’s system of governance. She works closely with the chair of the Board, the Chancellor, senior administration, and committee chairs, to provide advice and guidance on strategy, policy and process.

Professor Dolak teaches courses on patent law, civil procedure and the federal courts, and has served as an expert in patent cases, attorney malpractice cases, and practitioner disciplinary proceedings. Her research interests include issues at the intersections of patent law and judicial procedure and patent law and legal ethics.

During a sabbatical leave from Syracuse University, she served as law clerk to the Hon. Paul R. Michel, Judge (Ret.), United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.  She served during 2005-2013 as a member of the Federal Circuit’s Advisory Council. She has served as an expert in patent cases, malpractice cases, and attorney disciplinary proceedings.

Prior to attending law school, Prof. Dolak worked for several years as a synthetic organic chemist in pharmaceutical research aimed at the development of new drugs at Bristol-Myers Company and Ayerst Laboratories Research, Inc.

Prof. Dolak received her Bachelor of Science in chemistry from Duquesne University and her Juris Doctor, summa cum laude, from the Syracuse University College of Law. She is admitted to practice in New York and before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. She is a regular panelist on "The Ivory Tower", a public affairs discussion program airing Fridays at 8 p.m. on WCNY-TV.

Updated: May 10, 2020