Raleigh Education Law & Public School Board Attorney Ken Soo | The Education Law Practice at Tharrington Smith

Ken Soo’s areas of practice include public school law, employment law and civil litigation. Mr. Soo was admitted to the North Carolina Bar in 1991 and joined Tharrington Smith in 1994.

Mr. Soo’s first career was as a wire service and newspaper reporter in Ohio, North Carolina and Florida, including stints with United Press International and The Charlotte Observer. He received his law degree with honors from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1991. During law school, he was a note editor for the North Carolina Law Review. Mr. Soo completed his bachelor’s degree in comparative area studies at Duke University.

Mr. Soo has served as editor of Education Law, a publication of the North Carolina Bar Association’s education law section. In 2019, Ken became a Professional Registered Parliamentarian through the National Association of Parliamentarians, providing leadership to public school boards whose open meetings are grounded in parliamentary procedure. He is a member of the North Carolina Council of School Attorneys and a regular speaker for the North Carolina School Boards Association, the Principals’ Executive Program, and the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction.

Education

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Law

Juris Doctor, 1991
North Carolina Law Review, Editor

Duke University

B.A., Comparative Area Studies

Certifications and Registrations

Registered Parliamentarian, National Association of Parliamentarians, 2018
Professional Registered Parliamentarian, National Association of Parliamentarians, 2019

Professional Dedication

North Carolina Bar Association, Education Law Section, Editor of Education Law publication

Memberships & Admissions

North Carolina State Bar, member
North Carolina Bar Association, member Education Law Section
Wake County Bar Association, member
10th Judicial District Bar, member
North Carolina Council of School Attorneys, member & speaker
National Association of Parliamentarians

Verdicts & Opinions:

Everett, et al v. Pitt County Board of Education, US Court of Appeals Fourth Circuit, No. 13-2312, June 2015, published
Lorrson v. Chapell Hill-Carrboro Board of Education, US Court of Appeals Fourth Circuit, No. 13-2330, December 2014, published
E.L. ex rel. Lorsson v. Chapel Hill-Carrboro Bd. of Educ., 773 F.3d 509 (2014)
Justice v. Farley, 470 Fed.Appx. 136 (2012)
In re Protest of Atchison, 192 N.C.App. 708 (2008)
Brown v. Chatham County Bd. of Educ., 187 N.C.App. 274 (2007)
Citizens Addressing Reassignment and Educ., Inc. v. Wake County Bd. of Educ., 182 N.C.App. 241 (2007)
Nicholson v. Jackson County School Bd., 170 N.C.App. 650 (2005)
Brown v. Pitt Cnty Schools, Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, Case No. 01-1846 (2002)
Pettiford v. Granville County, 16 Fed.Appx. 112 (2001)
Edwards v. Board of Elections; 18 CVS 9749, Wake County, Aug. 2018