Carole Ann Spink

Carole Ann Spink is a legal scholar, law professor, and former international employment law partner with more than 2 decades of legal practice 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 professional background includes partnership positions at major international law firms, where she led the employment law aspects of cross-border mergers and acquisitions. Her academic qualifications include a Juris Doctor degree with High Honors from Chicago-Kent College of Law and a Master of Science degree in International Relations from the London School of Economics.

Early Academic Background

Spink began her academic studies at the University of Central Florida, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English in 1992. During her undergraduate years, she was inducted into Sigma Tau Delta, the International English Honor Society. Alongside her coursework, she served as an Academic Peer Advisor in the School of Communications. In this role, she assisted other students with academic planning and course-related guidance, gaining early experience in educational support and mentorship.

After completing her undergraduate education, she pursued legal studies at the Illinois Institute of Technology’s Chicago-Kent College of Law. She received 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 the Order of the Coif and recognition as a Kent Legal Scholar. These distinctions reflected her consistent academic focus and strong analytical abilities throughout law school.

During law school, she also contributed to legal scholarship by serving as a Notes and Comments Editor for the Chicago-Kent Law Review. This role required extensive legal research, careful writing, and editorial review of scholarly submissions. In the summer of 1995, she completed a judicial externship with the Honorable George M. Marovich of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. This externship provided exposure to federal court proceedings and the judicial decision-making process.

Several years later, Carole Spink returned to academic study to expand her understanding of international affairs. In 2003, she earned a Master of Science degree in International Relations from The London School of Economics and Political Science. This graduate program strengthened her global perspective and complemented her legal training, particularly in matters involving international employment law.

Entry into Legal Practice

Her legal career began in Chicago when she joined Jones Day as a Summer Associate in 1996. She continued with the firm 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 large law firm.

In 1999, she joined Baker McKenzie 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 from the firm, she returned in September 2006. Her continued professional growth and increasing responsibilities led to her promotion to Partner in January 2011. In that role, she managed complex employment matters and coordinated work across multiple jurisdictions.

Leadership in Global Employment Law

As a Partner at Baker McKenzie from 2011 to 2019, Carole became a leader within the firm’s North America Global Employment and Labor Law practice. She regularly led transactions involving 50 or more jurisdictions, which required coordination with local counsel and careful attention to differing legal requirements. Her work focused on helping clients navigate complex cross-border employment issues while maintaining compliance across legal systems.

In addition to her client responsibilities, she contributed to the firm’s intellectual and professional initiatives. She served as the North America Editor for The Global Employer, a publication that addressed developments in employment law. Through this role, she supported the exchange of legal knowledge and practical guidance within the firm.

Pro Bono and Social Impact Work

Throughout her time at Baker McKenzie, she maintained a strong commitment to pro bono service and social impact efforts. One notable initiative involved the design and presentation of four cooperative international modules addressing pro bono work and social innovation. This work reflected her belief in the broader responsibilities of legal professionals beyond commercial practice.

Spink also served as Team Leader for a significant pro bono collaboration with Accenture, Caterpillar, and Merck as part of PILnet’s Empowerment of Women in Nepal project. This initiative involved a team of 70 lawyers from 11 countries and focused on empowering women legally and economically. The project received the 2010 Corporate Pro Bono Partner Award from the Pro Bono Institute, recognizing the scope and impact of the collaboration.

Partnership at McDermott Will & Schulte

In 2019, she joined McDermott Will & McDermott (Now McDermott Will ^ Schulte) in Chicago as a Partner in the Employment practice group. In this position, she advised clients on both domestic and global employment law matters. Her role expanded during the COVID-19 pandemic, a period marked by rapidly evolving workplace and legal challenges.

During this time, she served as Co-Chair of the firm’s COVID-19 Task Force and acted as the founding author of the firm’s Pandemic Resource Center. These responsibilities involved monitoring legal developments, coordinating internal responses, and providing practical resources to assist clients during the pandemic.

Transition to Academia

After more than two decades in private legal practice, Spink transitioned into legal academia, bringing extensive professional experience into the classroom. In August 2024, she joined Barry University’s Dwayne O. Andreas School of Law in Orlando, Florida, as a Visiting Assistant Professor of Law.

During the 2024–2025 academic year, she 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 foundational legal principles and applied drafting skills.

In August 2025, she was appointed Assistant Professor of Law at Barry University. 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 is informed by earlier teaching experience at Loyola University New Orleans College of Law. From August 2004 to May 2006, she served as a Westerfield Fellow. In that role, she taught legal reasoning and appellate advocacy to two classes of 25–30 first-year students, focusing on legal analysis, writing, and oral advocacy.

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 teaching and scholarship in employment law.

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