For Carol Hartline, being direct is a reflection of her deep commitment to quickly finding the right answers to client challenges. Her calm and clear communication style helps clients gain clarity, perspective, and confidence navigating situations which, for many, may be among the most challenging in their lives.
Whether it’s helping clients set realistic expectations or an awareness of when to lean on colleagues at WilliamsMcCarthy for an area of expertise, Carol’s ability to cut through distractions ensures that every interaction is meaningful. She thrives in one-on-one conversations, making clients feel understood, supported and empowered to make it through sometimes difficult circumstances. However, her client relationships aren’t just built on guidance, they reflect her dedication to meeting people where they are.
“Everybody’s background and needs are so different,” Carol shared. “Some want more help understanding the legal process and what’s going to happen while others need more support handling their private lives.”
Interest in the legal profession and its connection to helping people developed early for Carol. While other kids were watching cartoons, she followed the news and politics, always knowing that being a lawyer was in her future. After graduating from the University of Illinois, the Sycamore native set out to pursue her passion. She explored a possible interest in criminal law by working at TASC, a program that provides placements and counseling for individuals charged with a crime and who struggle with substance abuse or addiction. Though the work was meaningful, she quickly realized criminal law wasn’t the right fit.
“I didn’t want to lose perspective on what it takes to make change,” Carol explained. “My time at TASC confirmed I wanted to help people in a different way than criminal law.”
True to her direct nature, she made the decisive choice to change focus as she started law school at Northern Illinois College of Law, leading her to the career for which she was meant. Carol found her passion in the areas of employment law, workers’ compensation, and family law, where she ensures every person she represents feels heard and well-represented—a reflection of why she pursued law in the first place.
Over the course of her 20-year career, Carol’s exceptional practice of law and her ability to build strong client connections has translated into an impressive list of accomplishments. A skilled litigator, she has successfully handled cases from trial through all levels of appeal. Her excellence in employment law, insurance defense, and workers’ compensation defense has not gone unnoticed, earning her peer recognition as a Leading Lawyer, an honor reserved for only the top five percent of attorneys in Illinois. She has also been named one of the 10 best lawyers in Illinois by the American Institute of Legal Counsel for her exceptional skill and dedication to clients.
Carol takes great pride in practicing law in Rockford—a community to which she is deeply connected. Earlier in her career, she commuted from Rockford to Chicago, balancing the demands of a rigorous legal career while newly married. And while there’s plenty to love about the Windy City, she realized that practice in a big city often didn’t align with her values. Choosing to build her career in Rockford allowed her to practice law the way she believes it should be done—prioritizing relationships with clients and colleagues, thoughtful case strategies, and the highest ethical standards.
When faced with a decision about where to build her future in Rockford, Carol chose to become a part of WilliamsMcCarthy, offering the best of both worlds. WilliamsMcCarthy is large enough to bring a variety of challenging cases yet part of a tightly connected legal community. In this region, reputation is everything, and success is built on honesty, trust, and an unwavering commitment to the truth—all of which align perfectly with Carol’s approach to practicing law.
With years of experience and a skill set that her peers and clients recognize as world-class, Carol’s pedigree as an attorney is an undeniable asset. However, it’s her ability to provide fair, direct, and compassionate guidance that sets her apart. She doesn’t just focus on what the law dictates; she ensures her clients feel supported, empowered, and equipped to move forward, always prioritizing what is both right and legal.
Carol laughed as she shared, “I prefer to pick up the phone, which is probably because of my direct nature. My family law clients are always surprised to get a call back, but I need to know not just what is going on with their case, but with this new chapter in their lives.”
Practicing law, especially the complications of family law, is often a team sport. At WilliamsMcCarthy, Carol found a firm where she’s part of a team that values shared expertise, integrity, and a collective commitment to outstanding client service.
“If I come across a matter that is outside of my expertise, I can call on someone in another department with a great level of expertise – we don’t have a lot of dabblers at WilliamsMcCarthy,” said Carol. “I can get the right answer and save my client time and money.”
When she’s not working one-on-one with a client, you might find Carol entertaining her competitive nature on the tennis court or enjoying an eclectic mix of live music (her all-time favorite concerts include legends like Prince, Pearl Jam, and Caamp). Whether it’s on the court or in the crowd at a concert, Carol brings the same passion and enthusiasm to her personal life as she does to her legal career—fully engaged, fully present, and always up for the next challenge.
Carol Hartline is a partner with WilliamsMcCarthy LLP. She concentrates her practice in workers’ compensation defense, employment law, and family law and can be reached at chartline@wilmac.com or 815-987-8957.
