Sarah J. Spangenburg
Associate

4208 Six Forks Road Suite 1400, Raleigh, NC USA 27609

Overview

Sarah Spangenburg focuses her practice on labor and employment law. Sarah’s litigation experience includes defending employers in a broad range of labor and employment disputes, including discrimination, harassment, and wage and hour claims. In addition, Sarah has prosecuted and defended matters regarding restrictive covenants, misappropriation of trade secrets, tortious interference, and other related claims across the country. Sarah also regularly advises clients on all aspects of the employment relationship, including investigations, wage and hour compliance, I-9 compliance, employment policies and handbooks, employment agreements, restrictive covenants, severance agreements, layoffs, leaves of absence, and accommodations, and conducts trainings and seminars on these topics. In addition, Sarah routinely performs labor and employment due diligence for mergers and acquisitions.

Prior to joining the firm, Sarah worked as an associate in the Raleigh, North Carolina office of a national law firm where she focused her practice on complex litigation including class/collective actions, employment law (discrimination and unpaid sales commissions), and appellate cases. Previously, Sarah was a law clerk for the Honorable Sarah A. L. Merriam in the U.S. District Court of the District of Connecticut where she gained valuable insight into litigating in federal court and extensive experience with pre-trial matters including discovery and settlement.

While attending Wake Forest University School of Law, Sarah served as a judicial extern to Honorable Thomas F. Hogan in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, as a judicial intern to Honorable Adam M. Conrad in the North Carolina Business Court, and as a summer associate in the Charlotte office of a law firm based in North Carolina. She was an Executive Editor of the Wake Forest Law Review. Sarah participated in the 3L Appellate Advocacy Clinic where she worked on two amici briefs filed in the U.S. Supreme Court and a reply brief for an actual innocence appeal filed in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. She served as a teaching assistant for Legal Writing, Analysis, and Research, Civil Procedure, Conflict of Laws, and Employment Discrimination. Sarah earned CALI awards for the highest grade in Criminal Law, Employment Discrimination, Discrimination Law: Principles & Practices, and Conflict of Laws. She also served as a Student Ambassador for the Law School’s Admissions Office for three years.

While attending the John Carroll University, Sarah was chosen for and participated in the Arrupe Scholars Program for Service and Social Justice. During her undergraduate summers, Sarah served as the President’s Intern at Chautauqua Institution in Chautauqua, New York.

Sarah was recognized in 2024 and 2025 as one of the "Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch" for Management Labor and Employment Law and Labor and Employment Litigation by The Best Lawyers in America®. She was named a “Legal Elite” in 2024 by Business North Carolina magazine for Employment Law.

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Education

Wake Forest University School of Law J.D. (2019) cum laude

John Carroll University B.A., Political Science, Minor in Philosophy (2016) magna cum laude

Admissions

New York (2020)

North Carolina (2021)

Court Admissions

U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina (2021)

U.S. District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina (2021)

U.S. District Court for the Western District of North Carolina (2021)

U.S. Supreme Court (2023)

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Clerkships

U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut - Honorable Sarah A. L. Merriam (Sep 2019-Aug 2020)

Professional & Community Activities

Wake Forest University School of Law Rose Council
   Chair
   Board of Visitors, Executive Committee, Member
   Member (2020-Present)

North Carolina Bar Association, Young Lawyers Division, Bar Exam Committee Co-Chair (2022-Present)

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