Eric M. Fink

Eric M. Fink is an Associate Professor of Law at Elon University School of Law, where he has taught since 2007 and held tenure since 2012. His research focuses on legal sociology, examining labor law, incarceration systems, and workplace rights through a socio-legal lens.

• Education: B.A. in Sociology from Johns Hopkins University (1984), M.Sc. in Sociology from the London School of Economics (1985), J.D. from New York University School of Law (1997), and doctoral studies in Sociology at the University of Chicago (1987-1992).

Fink’s scholarship bridges labor law and sociological theory, addressing topics such as post-employment repayment obligations, prison labor organizing, and worker self-management in public services. His work often critiques institutional structures, including unpaid internships in law firms and the implications of digital environments on legal norms.

Recent publications analyze labor dynamics in virtual worlds like Second Life and the intersection of legal ethics with public policy. He actively advocates for open-source legal education tools and has received grants for student loan servicing research. Fink is a member of the Law and Society Association and served on North Carolina’s State Bar Ethics Committee (2011-2013).