Our Team

Richard A. Schwartz

Richard A. Schwartz received his B.A. from Duke University in 1975, and his J.D. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1978. He became a member of the North Carolina Bar in 1978. In 1979, after spending time as Vice President and General Counsel for a jazz record company in New York, Mr. Schwartz returned to North Carolina and joined Tharrington, Smith & Hargrove, where he quickly became a partner in 1982. In 1991, Mr. Schwartz opened his own law firm, devoted exclusively to the practice of education law.

Mr. Schwartz has served several terms on the Board of Directors of the North Carolina Council of School Attorneys, in addition to being past President. He has also served on the Board of Directors of the National Council of School Attorneys. Mr. Schwartz currently serves as Vice Chairman of the North Carolina Council on the Holocaust and on the Board of Directors of the Public School Forum of North Carolina, and the Will and Deni McIntyre Foundation. He is a member of the North Carolina Council of School Attorneys, the National Council of School Attorneys, and the Education Law Section of the North Carolina Bar Association. In addition, he is the long-time President of the Foundation Board for the North Carolina Center for the Advancement of Teaching (NCCAT). Mr. Schwartz is a frequent speaker at the district, state, and national levels on many different topics dealing with education law.

E. Alexander Grosskurth

Alex is a Chapel Hill native and a proud double-Tarheel. He graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2017 with a B.A. in history and political science. He returned to its law school and received a J.D. in 2021. During his time at UNC Law, he spent one year as a staff writer on the First Amendment Law Review and two years on the Energy Law Moot Court team. When he is not at work, you can find him running, playing disc golf, or spending time with friends and family.

McKensie G. Skeens

McKensie Skeens graduated from the University of Georgia, cum laude, in 2015 and received her J.D. from Campbell University in 2018. While in law school, Ms. Skeens interned for the Honorable Elizabeth A. McClanahan with the Virginia Supreme Court and with the North Carolina Administrative Office of the Courts in the Guardian ad Litem program. Ms. Skeens joined Schwartz Law in January 2022, after two years as Assistant General Counsel for the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction. She is a member of the North Carolina Council of School Attorneys, the National Council of School Attorneys, and the Education Law Section of the North Carolina Bar Association.

Ashlea White

Ashlea was born and raised in Raleigh. She graduated Summa Cum Laude from North Carolina State University in three years, with a double major in Political Science and Spanish Language and Literature and received her J.D. from Campbell University in 2021 on the Dean’s Academic Excellence Scholarship. While in law school, Ashlea interned for the Wake County Public Defender’s Office and the United States Committee for Refugees and Immigrants, in addition to being a Teaching Assistant for Professor Bobbi Jo Boyd. She joined Schwartz Law in August of 2022 and is a member of the North Carolina Council of School Attorneys, the National Council of School Attorneys, and the Education Law Section of the North Carolina Bar Association. In her spare time, Ashlea enjoys hiking, needlepoint, cooking, and playing with her dog, Cooper.

Law Firm Administrator Paralegal

Jenny Schwartz

Jenny Schwartz received her B.A. in American Studies with a pre-law concentration from Meredith College in 1990. She completed the Paralegal Program at Meredith College in 1990 and is a North Carolina State Bar Certified Paralegal. After spending time working in large law firms in Boston and Washington, D.C., Ms. Schwartz joined the firm in 1993. She serves as both the Paralegal for the firm and the Law Firm Administrator.

Jenny is the proud mother of Ellie, her black lab.

Assistant Office Manager

Pamela Brown Sheba

Pamela Brown Sheba serves as Schwartz Law’s Assistant Office Manager. Prior to joining the firm in February of 2020, Pamela spent 18 years working as an Administrative Assistant for the Detective Bureau in the Wayne, New Jersey Police Department. Prior to that, she worked for numerous years at the Public Defender’s Office as a Legal Secretary for the Juvenile Department, as well as an Administrative Court Clerk for Superior Court. She loves volunteering her time and getting involved with various charities, including Community Policing, RAD (Rape Aggression Defense) and Special Olympics. She moved to Raleigh from Clifton, New Jersey to be closer to family and enjoys spending time with loved ones. She is the proud mother of two sons, Mazi and Adeem.

Legal Administrative Assistant

Cynthia McDade

Cynthia McDade received her A.A. in Legal Secretarial Science from LaGuardia Community College in Long Island City, New York. Ms. McDade has over 25 years of legal experience working in some of New York City’s largest and most prestigious law firms as a legal assistant, word processor, and technical trainer. She joined the firm in 2015 as a legal assistant.

Law Clerk

Maddie Bruckel

Madelyn Bruckel earned both her B.S in Childhood and Special Education as well as her M.Ed. from SUNY Geneseo in Upstate New York. Ms. Bruckel worked as an educator for 4 years before relocating to North Carolina in 2019. She then continued her work as a public educator for two years in Wake County before attending law school. Ms. Bruckel is currently a second-year law student at Campbell University’s Norman Adrian Wiggins School of Law. She joined Schwartz Law P.L.L.C. in May 2022.

Law Clerk

Margaret Gunn

Margaret graduated from the UNC – Chapel Hill in 2018 with a double major in Political Science and Communications and a minor in Entrepreneurship. She is currently in her final year at Campbell Law School. Before attending law school, Margaret taught 6th grade science in Charlotte with Teach for America. Currently, Margaret is the Managing Editor of the Campbell Law Review and assists her professors as both a teaching assistant and a research assistant. Margaret loves spending time with her family, friends, and her sweet, giant dog.

Legal Administrative Assistant

Emily Thompson

Emily Thompson graduated from Michigan State University in 2022 with her B.A. in Political Science/Pre-Law with minors in Leadership of Organizations as well as Law, Justice, & Public Policy. Prior to joining the firm, Emily worked as a Legislative Intern with the State Representative from her hometown at the Michigan House of Representatives. In her free time, Emily enjoys volunteering with her local animal shelters in Fayetteville. She also loves to spend time with her family, friends & cats, Chai, and Matcha. Emily joined the firm in November of 2022 as a Legal Administrative Assistant.