About Carole Ann Spink
Assistant Professor of Law at Barry University
Carole Ann Spink is a legal scholar, law professor, and former international employment law partner with more than two decades of professional experience. She serves as an Assistant Professor of Law at Barry University’s Dwayne O. Andreas School of Law, where she teaches Contracts, Business Organizations, and Employment Law. Her career includes partnership roles at international law firms, where she led the employment law aspects of cross-border mergers and acquisitions. She holds a Juris Doctor degree with High Honors and a Master of Science degree in International Relations, reflecting a background that combines legal training with international studies.
Early Academic Background
Spink began her higher education at a public university in Florida, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English in 1992. During her undergraduate years, she was inducted into an international honor society for English scholars. Alongside her coursework, she served as an Academic Peer Advisor within the communications program. This role involved supporting fellow students, providing academic guidance, and offering early mentorship and service experience.
Upon completing her undergraduate studies, she pursued legal education at a law school in Illinois. She earned her Juris Doctor degree in 1997, graduating with High Honors and ranking ninth in a class of 335 students. Her academic performance resulted in her election to a national legal honor society and recognition as a legal scholar. These achievements reflected consistent dedication to educational excellence and legal analysis.
During law school, Carole Spink also contributed to legal scholarship by serving as a Notes and Comments Editor for a law review. This position required detailed legal research, careful writing, and editorial review. In the summer of 1995, she completed a judicial externship with a federal district court judge in Illinois. This experience provided direct exposure to courtroom procedures, judicial reasoning, and the structure of federal litigation.
Several years later, she expanded her academic background by returning to graduate study. In 2003, she earned a Master of Science in International Relations from a university in the United Kingdom. This program strengthened her understanding of global political and economic systems and supported her later work in international employment law.
Entry into Legal Practice
Her legal career began in Chicago, where she joined a large law firm as a Summer Associate in 1996 and later continued as an Associate from 1997 to 1999. During this period, she developed foundational skills in legal research, drafting, and client representation while working in a structured private practice environment.
In 1999, she joined another international law firm in Chicago as an Associate. From the outset, her practice focused on employment and labor law issues in a global context. After a brief period away, she returned to the same firm in September 2006. Her continued professional development and leadership responsibilities led to her promotion to Partner in January 2011. In that role, she managed complex matters and coordinated teams working across multiple jurisdictions.
Leadership in Global Employment Law
As a Partner from 2011 to 2019, Carole became a leader in the firm's global employment and labor law practice in North America. She regularly led transactions involving 50 or more jurisdictions, requiring careful coordination among local counsel and close attention to differing legal requirements. Her work focused on guiding clients through complex cross-border employment issues while maintaining compliance across multiple legal systems.
In addition to client work, she contributed to the firm's professional and intellectual life. She served as a regional editor for an internal publication focused on employment law developments. Through this role, she supported the sharing of knowledge and practical insights among colleagues and clients.
Pro Bono and Social Impact Work
Throughout her time in private practice, she maintained a strong commitment to pro bono work and social impact initiatives. One notable effort involved the design and presentation of four international cooperative modules on pro bono service and social innovation. This work reflected her belief in the responsibility of legal professionals to contribute beyond commercial practice.
Carole Spink also served as Team Leader for a significant pro bono collaboration involving multiple corporate partners as part of an international women’s empowerment project in Nepal. This initiative brought together a team of 70 lawyers from 11 countries and focused on supporting the legal and economic empowerment of women. The project received a corporate pro bono partner award in 2010 from a national organization recognizing excellence in pro bono service.
Partnership at McDermott Will & Schulte
In 2019, she joined another international law firm in Chicago as a Partner in the employment practice group. In this role, she advised clients on domestic and global employment law matters. Her responsibilities expanded significantly during the COVID-19 pandemic, a period that required rapid legal analysis and coordinated responses.
During this time, she served as Co-Chair of the firm’s COVID-19 task force and acted as the founding author of its pandemic resource center. These responsibilities involved monitoring legal developments, organizing internal guidance, and providing practical resources to help clients navigate pandemic-related employment challenges.
Transition to Academia
After more than two decades in private legal practice, she transitioned to legal academia, bringing extensive practical experience into the classroom. In August 2024, she joined a law school in Orlando, Florida, as a Visiting Assistant Professor of Law.
During the 2024–2025 academic year, Spink designed and taught two sections of Contracts for first-year students in the fall semester. In the spring semester, she developed and taught an additional Contracts section along with a Contracts Drafting course for upper-level students. These courses emphasized both foundational legal doctrine and applied drafting skills.
In August 2025, she was appointed Assistant Professor of Law at the same institution. In this role, she teaches Contracts, Business Organizations, and Employment Law, continuing her work in legal education and student instruction.
Earlier Teaching Experience
Her academic background includes earlier teaching experience at a law school in Louisiana, where she served as a teaching fellow from August 2004 to May 2006. In that role, she taught legal reasoning and appellate advocacy to two classes of 25–30 first-year students. This experience contributed to her development as an educator focused on legal analysis, writing, and advocacy skills.
Professional Credentials and Practice Focus
Carole Ann Spink is admitted to practice law in Illinois, where she was admitted in 1997, and in Florida, where she was admitted in 2022. Throughout her career, she has advised clients on domestic and cross-border employment law matters, with a focus on global corporate reorganizations and outsourcing transactions. She continues to apply her professional experience to legal education and scholarly work in employment law.
Portfolio: https://caroleannspink.com
