Paul T. O’Neill is one of the nation’s foremost experts on the legal issues impacting education reform. His professional experience spans the education sector. Paul served for several years as General Counsel of the SUNY Charter Schools Institute, one of the nation’s leading charter school authorizing offices. After this public service, he went into private practice in the boutique national education law firm of Brustein & Manasevit and moved on to hold positions of Senior Vice President, Chief Regulatory Officer, head education lawyer and Senior Fellow for EdisonLearning, the national school management and services organization. Notably, Paul led Edison’s efforts to engage in the post-Katrina revitalization of public schooling in New Orleans. He is a former Associate Director of the Newgrange School and Educational Outreach Center in New Jersey, which serves individuals with learning disabilities, and a former litigator in the New York offices of Dewey Ballantine LLP and Willkie, Farr & Gallagher LLP.
Special education is one of Paul’s primary interests and areas of legal expertise. He frequently advises clients on federal and state laws impacting students with disabilities, and serves as Co-founder and Senior Fellow of the National Center for Special Education in Charter Schools.
On the academic side, Paul serves on the adjunct faculty of Columbia University’s Teachers College, where he teaches courses on education law and policy, including Designing Charter Schools, Private School Law and Special Education Law & Policy. In 2011, he was honored to receive a Distinguished Alumni Award from Teachers College for achievement within 10 years of graduation.
Paul serves as the co-chair of the firm’s education law group.
Representative Accomplishments
Advises many charter schools on the legal issues they face.
Serves as counsel to a wide range of education sector entities, such as charter management organizations, education management organizations, foundations, service providers and not for profit organizations.
Provides governance training and expertise to schools and not for profit organizations.
Areas of emphasis include special education, student discipline, charter school authorizing, closure and replication.
Publications Paul is the author of several books and numerous scholarly and professional articles, including:
2022
Robert Garda, Jr., Wendy Hansel, and Paul O’Neill
“Students with Disabilities and School Choice,” The Oxford Handbook of U.S. Education Law
September 29, 2021
Paul T. O’Neill, NJ.com
“It’s not OK to exclude students with disabilities from in-person instruction | Opinion”
