Stephen Rawson is a partner in the firm’s Education Law Section. He is one of the section’s many former teachers. Prior to joining Tharrington Smith in 2013, Steve served for one year as the Dean’s Fellow at Duke University School of Law, and for two years as a law clerk to Justice Robin Hudson on the North Carolina Supreme Court. Steve earned his undergraduate degree in physics with honors from Duke University in 2005. He taught 7th-grade science in Louisville, Kentucky for two years, during which time he earned a master’s degree from the University of Louisville. Mr. Rawson returned to Duke and earned his law degree with honors in 2010. During law school, he served as Chairman of the Moot Court Board and participated in the Appellate Litigation Clinic, where he successfully argued a criminal case before the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit.Steve is an active member of the North Carolina Bar Association where he serves on the CLE Committee of the Education Law Section and enjoys membership in the Young Lawyers Division. He has previously served as Vice-Chair for the Durham County Democratic Party, and on the Wesley Fellowship Administrative Board of Duke University. Steve is recognized by North Carolina Super Lawyers Rising Stars since 2018. He and his wife have two young sons. They make their home in Durham.