Tharrington Smith, LLP is thrilled to announce that Jonathan A. Blumberg was honored with the 2022 Ann L. Majestic Distinguished Service Award by the Education Law Section of the North Carolina Bar Association on April 7, 2022. This prestigious award was established in 1990 to recognize outstanding leadership in the field of education law. It is named after Blumberg’s long-time friend and law partner at Tharrington Smith, Ann Majestic, who received the honor in 1998 and passed away in 2014.
“I am so grateful to be able to serve public schools. For over 65 years, my mother has served in special education for public schools, and to this day, she continues to serve as a substitute. I tutored, coached, served as an instructional assistant and then years ago landed this opportunity to work at Tharrington Smith as a school law attorney,” Blumberg said. “Tharrington Smith has afforded me the space and opportunity to be a part of public education, to serve school heroes, and to do so with truly talented, honest lawyers and staff, who check their egos at the door and collectively press for the best solutions to each challenge we face for our public school systems.”
Blumberg also expressed his admiration for the clients he serves: “During this time, I have been in awe of the around-the-clock, passionate dedication of our public school leaders, who move forward with extraordinary optimism while facing daunting challenges, all with the mission of giving our students and our country the best chance for a bright future. We truly have day to day, often unrecognized, school heroes, never more apparent than during the pandemic.”
Blumberg is known for his creativity, breadth of experience, irrepressible good humor, and keen expertise in all aspects of school personnel law. He has served as Board Attorney for the Edgecombe, Lenoir, and Orange County boards of education and is currently the lead attorney for the Wake County Public School System, the largest school district in the state. He is fiercely devoted to his clients and has been a mentor and role model to countless lawyers at his firm and around the state. Tharrington Smith is proud to congratulate him on this award and his many other achievements in his 34 years as a school attorney.