Patricia Robinson

Meet Patricia Robinson

Education Law

As a former teacher and life-long beneficiary of public education, I find great purpose in supporting and advising public school districts in North Carolina.

Biography

Patricia Robinson is a partner in Tharrington Smith’s Education Law Section. She advises clients on a wide array of issues, including internal investigations, policy revisions, personnel matters, special education, contracts, and public records law. She also serves as general counsel for three Boards of Education and represents clients in litigation, particularly in the Office of Administrative Hearings. Patricia received a B.A. in English with honors and highest distinction from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2010. She taught middle school Language Arts in Charlotte for three years, two as a Teach for America corps member, before returning to Chapel Hill for law school. While in law school, Patricia externed for Judge Allyson K. Duncan of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit and served as an Honors Writing Scholar, editor of the First Amendment Law Review, and student practitioner in the Youth Justice Clinic. Patricia graduated with high honors from UNC Law in 2016 and was inducted into the Order of the Coif before joining Tharrington Smith in 2016. Patricia is the former Chair of the Education Section of the North Carolina Bar Association.

Credentials

University of North Carolina School of Law

Juris Doctor with High Honors, 2016
Honors Writing Scholar First Amendment Law Review, Notes EditorYouth Justice Clinic, Student Practitioner

University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina

B A. with Honors and Highest Distinction, English, 2010

Experience

The Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division, Educational Opportunities Section, Washington, D.C., Legal Intern, May-August 2015
The Honorable Allyson K. Duncan, United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, Raleigh, N.C., Legal Intern, January-April 2015
Professor Barbara Fedders, Clinical Associate Professor of Law, UNC-Chapel Hill, Legal Research Assistant, January-August 2015
Advocates for Children’s Services, Legal Aid of North Carolina, Durham, N.C., Legal Intern, August-December 2014
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, Charlotte, N.C., Language Arts Teacher and Teach for America Corps Member, August 2010-June 2013

Membership & Admissions

North Carolina State Bar, 2016
North Carolina Council of School Attorneys
National Council of School Attorneys

Awards & Honors

Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch^® in America, 2024-2025

Engagement

North Carolina State Bar, 2016
North Carolina Council of School Attorneys
National Council of School Attorneys

Publications

The Silent War: Free Speech and the Right to Information in the Context of Military Sexual Assault, 13 FIRST AM. L. REV. 498 (2015)
“Student Records,” in Guide to Student Advocacy in North Carolina 181-194 (North Carolina Bar Association 2015)

Profiles

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