Former North Carolina Solicitor General Joins McGuireWoods

Former North Carolina Solicitor General Ryan Park has joined McGuireWoods’ national litigation and appellate practices as a partner. He is based in Raleigh and co-leads the firm’s North Carolina appellate practice. 

Park served as North Carolina’s top courtroom lawyer from 2020 to 2025, managing appellate litigation in state and federal courts and serving as lead counsel in the state’s most significant appeals and select cases in trial court. He has presented oral argument in more than 30 appeals, including twice at the U.S. Supreme Court and nine times at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. He also represented North Carolina in multistate initiatives related to healthcare, consumer protection and other issues. Park served as North Carolina’s deputy solicitor general from 2017 to 2020.

A summa cum laude graduate of Harvard Law School, Park served as a law clerk to U.S. Supreme Court Justices David H. Souter and Ruth Bader Ginsburg. He is one of 11 former U.S. Supreme Court clerks in McGuireWoods’ litigation practice.

“Ryan has litigated high-profile disputes and gained valuable insight into the priorities of state attorneys general,” said Noreen Kelly, deputy managing partner of McGuireWoods’ litigation practice. “His skill and strategic perspective will benefit clients in all phases of the litigation process.”

Raleigh partner Jonathan Y. Ellis, co-leader of the firm’s Appeals & Issues Practice Group, added: “Ryan is an accomplished litigator and appellate advocate whose significant experience in private practice and at the highest levels of North Carolina government will help clients navigate their most complicated civil and government-facing disputes.”

McGuireWoods’ Appeals & Issues Practice Group has a deep bench of more than 40 attorneys. In 2024, the team handled more than 200 appeals, including cases at the U.S. Supreme Court, every U.S. circuit court of appeals and 21 state appellate courts.

“McGuireWoods has a leading national litigation practice with outstanding appellate lawyers in North Carolina and throughout the country,” Park said. “I’m excited to grow my practice here to help clients in high-stakes matters in North Carolina and nationally.”

Elizabeth Zwickert Timmermans, managing partner of McGuireWoods’ Raleigh office, noted that Park is the third partner to join the Raleigh office year after serving in a high-level government position. Charlotte Mitchell, former chair of the North Carolina Utilities Commission, came to the firm in April; and Michael Easley Jr., former U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, rejoined McGuireWoods in March.  

“Ryan is admired by the legal community in North Carolina and beyond for his service as solicitor general,” Timmermans said. “He is another important addition to our Raleigh office and we are delighted to welcome him.”