A total of 347 alumni, students, faculty, staff and friends made gifts to Elon Law during the 2025-26 academic year, a 23% increase over the previous year and the highest donor total in school history.

The law school also recorded a school-record Elon Society-level donors — pledging $1,500 or more annually — reflecting growing investment in Elon Law’s students, programs and future.

Highlights from the year include:

• The highest annual fundraising total in seven years and a 20% increase year over year.
• 11% alumni participation, a school record.
• 24% growth in Elon Day fundraising.
• 67% growth in the 3L class gift campaign.
• A new endowed scholarship established to support student bar examination preparation.

“This kind of support doesn’t happen by accident,” Elon Law Dean Zak Kramer said. “There’s excitement about where Elon Law is going. We’ve seen record bar exam results, record applications and approval to expand our full-time program to Charlotte. Big things are happening at Elon Law, and our alumni and friends are making them possible.”

The results continue a multi-year trend of increasing engagement among Elon Law alumni and supporters, who contribute to scholarships, student programming, professional development opportunities and other initiatives that strengthen the law school’s mission.

Assistant Dean for Development and Alumni Relations Scott Leighty said the record-setting year reflects the growing community of alumni and friends who believe in Elon Law’s students and mission.

“We like to say that big things are happening at Elon Law. Indeed, they are,” Leighty said. “Philanthropy reflects our community’s shared belief in our students.”

Among the year’s accomplishments was the establishment of a new endowed scholarship dedicated to helping students prepare for the bar examination, expanding support for graduates as they take the final step toward entering the legal profession. That growing support paid dividends this year, as the Class of 2025 set school records for state and national bar passage.

The latest fundraising and engagement results build on continued momentum across Elon Law as the law school expands its impact in Greensboro, Charlotte and throughout North Carolina.

The record surpassed the previous high of 82.7%, set by Elon Law’s charter class in 2009. In all, 132 of 136 December graduates sat for a bar examination in winter and spring 2026.

“We are incredibly proud of the Class of 2025,” Dean Zak Kramer said. “Our graduates put in the work and supported each other along the way. Together, they raised the bar for all future Elon Law graduates.”

The nationwide result comes two months after Elon Law announced a record 91.96% first-time pass rate on the February 2026 North Carolina Bar Exam. The newly compiled data provides a broader measure of graduate success, showing that 90.9% of the law school’s 132 graduates who sat for a bar examination passed on their first attempt, regardless of jurisdiction.

The results also reflect the advantages of Elon Law’s accelerated 2.5-year J.D. curriculum in Greensboro and — beginning in Fall 2027 — Charlotte. žĂžĂČČ graduate in December, sit for the February bar exam and, upon passing, can begin practicing law months earlier than graduates of traditional law programs. The accelerated timeline allows graduates to enter the profession and begin earning sooner.

The energy in the building around the bar exam has changed. They feel it. We all feel it. We’re looking forward to continuing this trajectory.

– Assistant Dean for Academic Success Jenny Lane

This year’s record-setting performance reflects a culture shift at Elon Law and growing momentum around the law school’s programs and outcomes. Elon Law adopted a “One and Done” motto and mindset around the bar exam, with faculty and staff expanding academic support initiatives. In particular, the Office of Academic Success provided additional coaching, workshops, practice examinations and individualized support to reinforce that message throughout students’ legal education and bar preparation.

“What is special about this class is that they truly embodied Elon Law’s ‘One and Done’ mission,” said Jenny Lane, assistant dean for academic success. “They understood the power of coming together as a community and conquering the bar exam.

“It matters when we invest in students and believe in them. The energy in the building around the bar exam has changed. They feel it. We all feel it. We’re looking forward to continuing this trajectory.”

Twenty graduates sat for bar examinations in 11 states outside North Carolina. Seventeen passed on their first attempt, including every graduate who sat in nine of those jurisdictions.

For graduates, passing the bar exam marks the culmination of years of legal study and the beginning of professional practice. For Elon Law, the Class of 2025’s record-setting results reflect the success of a model of legal education built around experiential learning, practical training, and preparing students to enter the legal profession ready to serve clients and communities from day one.

“The value proposition of this law school is incredible,” Kramer said. “A skills-based education, in 2.5 years, with incredible outcomes like this. Big things are happening at Elon Law and we’re just getting started.”

Applications will be accepted starting Sept. 1, 2026.

The ABA approval clears the way for Elon Law to expand its nationally recognized model of full-time legal education to North Carolina’s largest city. At that point, Elon Law will offer three pathways to a law degree in North Carolina: a full-time program in Greensboro, a full-time program in Charlotte and the part-time Elon Law Flex Program in Charlotte.

“This comes at an incredible moment for Elon Law,” said Elon Law Dean Zak Kramer. “Within the last year, we’ve celebrated historic bar passage rates and employment outcomes for our graduates, along with record enrollment and student applications. The ABA’s approval of our Charlotte program builds on that momentum, allowing Elon Law to bring our signature approach to legal education to one of the nation’s fastest-growing cities.”

The inaugural Charlotte class, consisting of up to 75 students, will begin studies in August 2027 on the campus of Queens University of Charlotte. The charter cohort will graduate in December 2029, following Elon Law’s existing 2.5-year, seven-trimester academic calendar in Greensboro. The Elon Law Flex Program will also begin holding its part-time evening classes on the Queens campus in Fall 2027.

The full-time Charlotte program will replicate the innovative curriculum established at Elon Law’s Greensboro campus. The hallmark of Elon Law’s experiential, skills-based, community-centered approach to legal education is the Residency-in-Practice Program: a course-connected placement that pairs every student with a practicing attorney or judge during the winter or spring of their second year.

That experience moves students beyond studying the law to begin living it — working alongside attorneys and judges, serving clients and communities, and developing the professional judgment and practical skills expected of new lawyers. žĂžĂČČ return to campus with greater confidence, stronger professional connections and a clearer sense of the kind of lawyer they will become.

Elon Law is in the early stages of hiring a full complement of professors, administrators and student support personnel who will lead the full-time program in Charlotte. The move aligns with the proposed merger of žĂžĂČČ and Queens University, which remains subject to final approval from SACSCOC and the U.S. Department of Education.

Elon leaders are working closely with Queens University to ensure law students benefit from a vibrant campus experience and the resources of a thriving university community.

The expansion also builds on Elon Law’s longstanding relationships throughout Charlotte’s legal community. Already, more than 10 percent of the law school’s alumni live and work in the Charlotte area. Law school leaders plan to strengthen existing partnerships, develop new connections and grow opportunities for students to serve in a region with a need for legal talent, legal services and innovative legal education.

Through clinics, residencies and community partnerships, Elon Law students regularly work alongside attorneys, judges, nonprofit organizations and public agencies to help address unmet legal needs.

“We’ve been in Charlotte all along through our students, alumni and community partnerships,” Kramer said. “This approval gives us an opportunity to deepen our commitment to Charlotte. We’re excited to invest here, build new partnerships and help shape what comes next.”

Additional information about admissions, faculty hiring and program development will be announced in the coming months.

About Elon Law

Elon Law is the preeminent school for engaged and experiential learning in law. With a focus on learning by doing, it integrates traditional classroom instruction with a required residency-in-practice field placement for all full-time students during the winter or spring of their second year. The law school’s distinctive full-time curriculum provides a logically sequenced program of professional preparation and is accomplished in 2.5 years, which offers exceptional value by lowering tuition and permitting graduates early entry into their careers.

Elon Law has graduated more than 2,000 alumni since opening its doors in downtown Greensboro in 2006. Its annual enrollment now tops 500 students. The law school is regularly featured in PreLaw Magazine’s “Best Schools for Practical Training” rankings, maintaining an A+ rating each year since 2023. Elon Law was also among schools highlighted by Bloomberg Law in 2023 for its innovative approach to student development.

The Elon Law Flex Program, a part-time, in-person program of legal study, launched in Charlotte in 2024. Designed for students balancing work, family and other commitments to earn their J.D. in under four years, it will enroll its third cohort in Fall 2026.

These were the questions centered in the fictional case analyzed and argued by 116 first-year Elon Law students in the school’s 19th Annual Intramural Moot Court Competition, held May 27 and 28.

A deaf small-business owner applied for a loan from an online lending company and was offered a 14.25% interest rate. After his twin brother — who shared nearly identical financial, educational and employment credentials but did not have a disability — received a 6.25% rate for the same loan, he suspected the lender had considered his disability when evaluating the application.

The business owner sued under the ADA, arguing that the online lender discriminated against him based on his disability. A federal court dismissed the case, finding that the lender’s website was not a place of public accommodation covered by the ADA and that the law regulates access to lending services, not the terms of the loans offered.

The business owner appealed the ruling to the fictional U.S. Court of Appeals for the 15th Circuit, which regularly hears cases represented by Elon Law students.

Members of the Class of 2027 comprised the largest group ever to compete in the spring event, with 58 teams appearing before volunteer judges that included local judges, attorneys, Elon Law alumni, and law school faculty and staff.

All first-year students were introduced to the case in their Legal Method & Communication courses as the basis for graded oral arguments this spring. Each student presented two oral arguments, one for appellant and one for appellee, and was scored on preparation, speaking ability, argument structure and responses to judges’ questions.

Top 10 Oral Advocates in the 2026 competition (with ties)

• Gabrielle Brown Roycroft
• Aarya Deshmukh
• Zaria Hanchell
• Adelaide Anne Zahren
• Avery Vidt
• Michael Iafrato
• Grant Paramore
• Rachel Wilson
• Jacqueline Gardner (tie)
• David Bryant (tie)
• Megan Chen

“This competition was a reminder not to let fear of failure keep me from trying,” said Gabrielle Brown Roycroft L’27, from Salisbury, North Carolina, who is interested in family law, estate planning and civil litigation. She graduated from Catawba College with a degree in politics. “It’s worth it to push through the nerves and use them as fuel to perform your best. You can’t memorize your way through oral advocacy. You have to think on your feet and respond in the moment. When you’ve done the work in advance, you can trust your preparation and focus on having a conversation with the judges.”

Selections for membership on the Moot Court Board will be announced this summer before the board hosts the 17th Billings, Exum & Frye National Moot Court Competition on Oct. 22-24. Moot Court Board members will also compete in a slate of national moot court competitions during the 2026-27 school year.

Vice Dean and Professor of Law Alan Woodlief, director of Elon Law’s Moot Court Program, praised the Moot Court Board for its professionalism and hospitality in running the spring competition.

The annual event sees the Elon Law community step up to provide an exceptional experience for first-year students. This year, Elon Law was honored to host more than 50 volunteer attorneys and judges, including over 20 Elon Law alumni, as well as a current justice and former chief justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court participate as judges.

“Moot Court is a great experiential learning opportunity, and I was excited to see so many students take advantage of this experience to strengthen their advocacy skills,” Woodlief said. “Our Moot Court Board did an exceptional job coordinating the school’s largest-ever competition, and they could not have done it without the great support from our student body, faculty, and staff, as well as the many Elon Law alumni, attorneys, and judges who contributed to the success of the competition.”

Alumni judges reflect: ‘It helped me find my voice’

The annual Intramural Moot Court Competition — along with the graded Legal Method and Communication Program’s graded oral arguments held the week before — is also a homecoming of sorts.

Alumni return to campus each spring to hear arguments, offer feedback and help first-year students develop the advocacy skills they will use throughout their careers.  They have clear memories of standing at the podium themselves and how meaningful it was to their development to receive feedback from legal professionals.

April Franklin L’25 said oral arguments helped her overcome her nerves and discover a passion for advocacy.

“It gave me confidence. It helped me find my voice that I didn’t know that I had,” said Franklin, who is pursuing practice in wills and estates, health care or corporate law. “Elon gave me the support that I needed to progress in this career path, and I want to be able to give that same support to the next generation of Elon Law students.”

Landon Eckard L’25, who will begin a federal judicial clerkship in Detroit this summer, said moot court taught him to think on his feet and respond to difficult questions from judges.

“It’s the most spontaneous kind of advocacy there is in the legal profession,” Eckard said. “You can have a rough script before you get there, but one minute into the argument, that script goes out the window. It made me a better litigator and a better attorney.”

Thomas Harvey L’22, a criminal defense attorney in nearby Rockingham County, North Carolina, pursued law as a second career. He returns because he remembers exactly what it felt like to stand at the podium as a student and believes the experience helps shape better advocates.

“It wasn’t that long ago that I was standing right where they are. Believe it or not, the judges are all rooting for you individually,” Harvey said. “It’s such a joy to come back and be a part of Elon Law.”

2026 Intramural Moot Court Competition student leadership

Overall Chairs of the Competition: Isabel Craige L’26, Elizabeth Gregory L’26, Sierra Watkins L’26

Judge Recruitment and Coordination Chairs: Emma Farrell L’26, James Galipeau L’26, Cayla James L’26, Bailey Langford L’26, Renata Navarro L’26

Bailiff Recruitment and Coordination Chairs: Madisyn Butler L’26, Erin Carleton L’26, Megan Eldredge L’26, Cameron O’Neil L’26, Tyler Sesker L’26

Scoring Committee Chairs: Brittany Balis-West L’26, Jackie Rullman L’26, Rebecca Vairin L’26

LMC Oral Argument Coordination Chairs: Daulton Hadaway L’26, Courtney Maxwell L’26

Presiding over the ceremony were The Hon. Catherine C. Eagles of the United States District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina, The Hon. Stephanie L. Reese of the North Carolina Superior Court and The Hon. Bill Davis of the North Carolina District Court. Graduates were presented to the court by sponsoring attorneys before being admitted to practice before the state bar, the federal bar or both.

“Today is the day you can represent people, represent clients and call yourself a lawyer,” Eagles said during the Thursday, May 21, session. “It’s your job to stand up for people and to stand up for the rule of law. It is your job to conduct yourself uprightly and according to law, and to look after our system of justice every day in everything that you do.”

The ceremony was hosted by the ’s Young Lawyers Section, one of many held across North Carolina and the nation as members of Elon Law’s Class of 2025 complete their legal studies after December graduations and successful performances on the February 2026 bar examinations. Dean of Elon Law Zak Kramer delivered remarks welcoming new attorneys, calling the ceremony “the culmination of years of work and sacrifice by our graduates and their families.”

Jonathan M. Parisi, president of the Young Lawyers Section, encouraged newly licensed attorneys to engage in the legal profession and broader community as they begin their careers.

“This is not the end of your learning journey. It’s just the beginning,” Parisi said. “Seek out mentors, get involved in your legal community, and find ways to serve.”

Davis reminded them that their professional reputation will shape their careers.

“Your reputation is your greatest tool and your greatest asset,” Davis said. “Be thoughtful about how you interact with judges, lawyers, clients and court staff. Build a reputation that will serve you well and help you succeed.”

Reese emphasized the responsibility attorneys assume when clients place their trust, livelihoods and futures in lawyers’ hands.

“You’ve shown incredible strength and character in making it to this point,” Reese told the newly admitted attorneys. “People put their very lives in your hands. From today forward, you have that responsibility, and no one else can carry it for you. You are their voice. You are their guide and their strength in the storm.”

Eagles also encouraged the graduates to pursue civic leadership beyond courtrooms and law offices.

“Lawyers are often the people making the nonlegal parts of our community work,” Eagles said. “Find your place where you can make a contribution beyond the courtroom and your office.”

Presiding over the ceremonial court sessions were:

The Hon. Catherine C. Eagles of the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina

The Hon. Stephanie L. Reese of North Carolina Superior Court for the 24th District

The Hon. Bill Davis of North Carolina District Court for the 24th District

Elon Law graduates admitted to federal and state court

Elon law graduates seeking admission only to federal court

Elon Law graduates seeking admission only to state court

Ěýł˘’25

About Elon Law

Elon Law is the preeminent school for engaged and experiential learning in law. With a focus on learning by doing, it integrates traditional classroom instruction with a required residency-in-practice field placement for all full-time students during the winter or spring of their second year. The law school’s distinctive full-time curriculum provides a logically sequenced program of professional preparation and is accomplished in 2.5 years, which offers exceptional value by lowering tuition and permitting graduates early entry into their careers.

Elon Law has graduated more than 2,000 alumni since opening its doors in downtown Greensboro in 2006. Its annual enrollment now tops 500 students. The law school is regularly featured in PreLaw Magazine’s “Best Schools for Practical Training” rankings, maintaining an A+ rating each year since 2023. Elon Law was also among schools highlighted by Bloomberg Law in 2023 for its innovative approach to student development.

žĂžĂČČ has applied to the American Bar Association to open a full-time, 2.5-year J.D. program in Charlotte beginning in fall 2027. The Elon Law Flex Program, a part-time, in-person program of legal study, launched there in 2024. Designed for students balancing work, family and other commitments to earn their J.D. in under four years, it will enroll its third cohort in fall 2026.

Elon Law Review

• Aleezah Adams
• Trinity Barata
• Vivian Camplin
• Megan Chen
• Kali Crooks
• Samantha Davis
• Frank Deronja
• Avery Ferrigno
• Lauren Heist
• Jordan Hicks
• Isabela Latorre
• Maya Mahs
• Carson Patterson
• Bryanna Rediger
• Queen Salaam
• Alex Sarmiento
• Andrew Stark
• Baron Turner

The Elon Law Review was established in 2008 as the student-run and student-edited scholarly journal of the žĂžĂČČ School of Law. With each issue, the journal strives to advance legal education and scholarship through the contribution of intelligent discussion and analysis of the law. In addition to publishing an annual issue that examines novel and significant topics of legal scholarship, the Elon Law Review hosts an annual symposium on an emerging topic in the legal field.

Professor David S. Levine and Professor Eric Fink serve as advisors to the Elon Law Review.

We The People – Elon Law’s Constitutional Law Journal

• Madison Curtis
• Kayleigh Foster
• Jacqueline Gardner
• John Grice
• John Grosso
• Noah Jackson
• Kyla King
• Michael Maroney
• Gordon McKeehan
• Kassidy Neuner
• Grant Paramore
• Cole Payne
• Karly Pins
• John Prather
• Emily Radcliffe
• Lily Sanders
• Kaitlyn Sella
• Leah Shaw

We The People – Elon Law’s Constitutional Law Journal aspires to promote the contribution of intelligent discussion and analysis of the U.S. Constitution and constitutional law-related issues. The online journal was founded in 2022, aiming to foster healthy dialogue on timely legal issues in a respectful manner that its founders observed is often missing in contemporary debate.

Professor David S. Levine serves as the journal’s advisor.

Speaking during Elon Law’s Joseph M. Bryan Distinguished Leadership Lecture on Wednesday, May 6, at Greensboro’s Proximity Hotel, Kantor discussed her reporting on the Supreme Court, including extensive behind-the-scenes investigations of the Court’s internal processes and the justices themselves.

This spring, she and colleague Adam Liptak examining the Supreme Court’s growing use of its emergency or “shadow docket,” through which consequential rulings are often issued rapidly and with limited explanation or legal reasoning. At a moment of declining trust in institutions and the judiciary itself, Kantor warned that the practice can bypass some of the traditional safeguards associated with judicial deliberation and further erode public confidence in the court.

“Judges write opinions as an act of transparency and humility and faith,” Kantor said. “An opinion says to the public: ‘You may disagree with this decision. It may put your brother in jail. It may mean the end of your business. But I want you to know that I’m being sincere, and that I diligently worked through the law to come to this conclusion.’”

Kantor’s lecture series appearance featured an extended conversation with Professor Catherine Ross Dunham, a charter member of Elon Law’s faculty whose scholarship focuses on civil procedure and complex litigation.

Kantor earned international recognition for her work with colleague Megan Twohey in exposing decades of sexual abuse allegations against Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein. That reporting helped ignite the global #MeToo movement. Kantor and Twohey won the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service in 2018, and their work was later published in later adapted into an acclaimed film. Her other work has focused on technology and the modern workplace, leading to changes at companies like Amazon and Starbucks, and the Obamas’ life inside the White House. Most recently, she joined the New York Times’ Supreme Court team.

Investigating the Supreme Court

“Investigative journalism is about taking secrets that are in the public interest and putting them into sunlight,” Kantor said.

She described her reporting on the Court — in her words, “one of the most secretive institutions in American life” — as seeking to better understand how power operates within one of the nation’s least transparent institutions, including questions surrounding internal negotiations among justices, the role of clerks and the long-term effects of lifetime appointments.

“How much do they bargain with one another? What role do clerks play? How does power really flow?” Kantor asked. “What does it mean to hold power at that level for 20 or 30 years? How do people age in those jobs?”

At the same time, she acknowledged the tension between transparency and judicial independence, arguing that “judges need room to think, to deliberate, to change their minds.”

She emphasized that she isn’t interested in exposing pending Court decisions because that  “would interfere with the judicial process.”

“I’m not trying to know everything about the Supreme Court,” she said. “But I still think there are important questions worth answering.”

Privacy, secrecy and institutional power

Kantor repeatedly turned to the distinction between privacy and secrecy — a theme connecting both her Weinstein reporting and her more recent investigations into the Supreme Court.

“What I learned from the Weinstein investigation is that there’s a difference between privacy and secrecy,” Kantor said, referencing the nondisclosure agreements now required of Supreme Court staff and the stifling secrecy of settlement agreements in Weinstein’s case.

“Victims deserved privacy,” Kantor said of the Weinstein investigation. “But was the system benefiting from blanket secrecy that enabled predation? No. Legal culture is very invested in confidentiality, but confidentiality can run amok in ways that deprive the public of enough information to understand what is happening.”

She warned that excessive confidentiality inside powerful institutions — including courts, workplaces and corporations — can ultimately weaken public understanding and democratic trust.

“Journalism is one of democracy’s valves,” Kantor said. “I would rather us have rigorous coverage of the Supreme Court that leads to productive debate than a thousand other things, including the really disruptive political violence we’re seeing across the (political) spectrum.”

Resisting political caricatures

The conversation explored the dangers of reducing Supreme Court justices to simplistic political caricatures. Kantor pointed to Justice Amy Coney Barrett as an example of a jurist who was immediately misunderstood by both the political right and left when she was appointed in October 2020.

Kantor described Barrett as “perhaps the most independent of the Republican-appointed justices,” adding that even some of Barrett’s ideological critics view her as intellectually serious and institutionally minded.

“She’s very conservative,” Kantor said, “but she has this independent streak. She wants to be trusted by a broad swath of Americans. She does not want to be pigeonholed.”

Starting a meaningful career

Kantor also reflected on questions of professional purpose and career-building, themes explored in her new book, Drawing on her workplace reporting and conversations with students navigating political uncertainty, economic anxiety and rapid technological change, Kantor encouraged young professionals to identify their talents, develop a craft and identify a societal need their craft addresses.

When evaluating early-career opportunities, Kantor said she encourages young professionals to focus less on prestige and more on growth, mentorship and intellectual curiosity. Taking calculated risks to gain experience and further develop craft will pay off.

“Are you learning?” Kantor said. “And are you working for good people?”

Earlier in the day, Kantor met with Elon Law students, faculty and staff for a smaller discussion centered on identifying purpose and launching meaningful careers in a challenging time.

About Elon Law’s Distinguished Leadership Lecture Series

The Distinguished Leadership Lecture Series presented by The Joseph M. Bryan Foundation is an integral part of Elon Law’s commitment to learning, lawyering and leadership. Endowed through a generous gift from The Joseph M. Bryan Foundation of Greensboro, N.C., the series brings accomplished leaders from a variety of disciplines to žĂžĂČČ to share their experiences and perspectives with students and faculty.

Elon Law students and faculty gathered for “Judicial Interpretation and Review Under the United States Constitution,” hosted by We the People — Elon Law’s Constitutional Journal.

The program featured retired North Carolina Supreme Court Chief Justice Cheri Beasley, Elon Law’s Sandra Day O’Connor Professor of Law; North Carolina Supreme Court Justice Phil Berger Jr., an adjunct professor at Elon Law; and Professor of Law Enrique Armijo, a constitutional law scholar. Professor of Law David Levine, who also serves as faculty adviser to We the People, moderated.

Their conversation centered on three themes: competing approaches to constitutional interpretation, the growing public and political pressure on courts, and how judges navigate decision-making in practice.

A central focus was the longstanding debate between originalism and the idea of a “living Constitution.”

Berger said he follows a textualist approach grounded in original meaning, cautioning against judges imposing their own will on constitutional interpretation.

“If interpretation relies on will, then the Constitution can mean anything at any time,” Berger said, pointing to the amendment process as the appropriate avenue for change.

Beasley characterized judicial review and interpretation as a pendulum that swings back and forth throughout American history, and said that the Constitution must function for the country as it exists today. She pointed out that the Founding Fathers wouldn’t have considered her, a Black woman, as deserving of rights – let alone able to serve on the court.

Armijo pointed to processes and landmark cases, like Brown v. Board of Education, as examples where historical meaning did not control modern outcomes. He framed constitutional interpretation as competing theories that provide the “reasons for the reasons” behind judicial decisions.

Panelists also addressed the pressures shaping today’s judiciary.

Berger described a “cheerleading” dynamic in which the public focuses more on outcomes than legal reasoning. Beasley pointed to the influence of money in judicial elections and the challenge of balancing transparency with safety, citing concerns about threats against judges. Armijo noted that decisions in high-profile cases have become increasingly predictable in a more politically polarized environment.

“You can often predict how individual (U.S. Supreme Court) justices are going to vote,” Armijo said, adding that partisan politics risks reducing the rule of law to a scoreboard of judicial appointments.

Berger emphasized the importance of consistent methodology, even when outcomes are difficult. Beasley said judges inevitably bring their life and professional experiences to the bench, but are bound to apply the law faithfully, balancing human perspective with legal obligation.

“Is there some level of humanity in decision-making? I believe there is … and I don’t know that that’s a bad thing.”

Six judges, comprising two panels, heard oral arguments in two cases inside the law school’s Robert E. Long Courtroom on Wed., April 15. Following recess, they held an extended Q&A session with students in the courtroom where they shared lessons drawn from decades of experience on and off the bench.

Among their advice to young lawyers:

• Be willing to concede a point — then quickly move on to explain why your client still prevails.
• It’s OK to say, “I don’t know,” rather than risk your credibility. Return to your argument about why your client should win the case.
• Structure legal briefs as clear roadmaps of your argument for the Court.
• Be concise in your writing. Make your point, support it with the law and move forward.
• Use caution with AI: Verify facts and citations before submitting any work to the court. Large language models often hallucinate legal matters.

Judges hearing arguments and interacting with students were:

• The Hon. Chris Dillon, Chief Judge of the N.C. Court of Appeals
• The Hon. John Arrowood
• The Hon. Jefferson Griffin
• The Hon. Toby Hampson
• The Hon. Donna Stroud
• The Hon. John Tyson

Judges heard arguments in two very different cases.

The first, , centers on whether certain residential units should be classified as townhomes or duplexes under local building codes, a distinction with significant regulatory consequences — and now potential financial consequences for individual property owners.

The second case, , out of Forsyth County, involves the state’s appeal of a trial court’s decision to dismiss charges after testimony referenced a prior case, raising questions about prejudice and appropriate remedies.

“It was an incredible experience for our students to observe six judges from the North Carolina Court of Appeals and four highly skilled appellate advocates in action, particularly as our first-year students prepare to present their own appellate arguments in their required Legal Method & Communication course in a few weeks,” said Alan Woodlief, vice dean and professor of law. “Several of the judges visiting today consistently welcome Elon Law students to their chambers for their Residencies-in-Practice, summer internships, or full-time clerkships after graduation. It was great to have several current Residency students accompany their judges to the oral arguments.”

Elon Law students’ takeaways

Law students listened intently to judges’ lines of questioning, but also to the ways appellant litigators structured their arguments, responded to jurists’ questions and addressed the court.

“I was paying attention to everything. I could understand why this is such a complicated case — codes changing, proposals changing, multiple parties — and I appreciated the judges asking why it got to this point and where responsibility lies,” said Lamarie Austin-Stripling LF ’29. A student in Elon Law’s part-time Charlotte Flex Program, Austin-Stripling drove from her home in Concord, North Carolina, to hear arguments before returning to the Queen City for classes that night.

Greensboro law students were just as engaged.

• “What struck me most is how much of what I’ve already been doing — in the classroom, in residency, and in internships — showed up in these arguments. It reinforced that I’m learning the skills I’ll need to be in that position one day.” – Tyler Sesker L’26, of Upper Marlboro, Maryland, who earned her žĂžĂČČ and graduate degrees at Hollins University and the University of Virginia.

•  “I was surprised by how collaborative the process is — judges discussing cases with each other and their clerks before and after arguments. It was valuable to see how the pros do it and what approaches seemed to resonate.” – Tom Desch L’27, of Cornelius, North Carolina, who earned his žĂžĂČČ degree at the University of South Carolina

• “One of the most impactful takeaways was hearing from the judges that if an attorney doesn’t know an answer, it is okay to say, ‘I don’t know.’ Being honest about the limits of your knowledge is much better than risking your credibility.” – Paulina Escobar L’27, of Ecuador, who holds a law degree from the University of the Americas in Quito, Ecuador.

Elon Law alumnus argues in his home court

For one attorney arguing before the court, the visit marked a return to where his legal career began.

Reginaldo Williams L’11, now an attorney with the North Carolina Department of Justice, presented arguments in State v. Cuadra. His path to appellate advocacy, however, was far from certain.

“I was that person wondering, ‘Why did I do this?’” Williams said following hearings, recalling his time as a law student. “I didn’t feel like I fit as a prosecutor or a public defender. But when I did my first oral argument, I knew — this is it.”

Williams credits guidance from Professor of Law Catherine Ross Dunham with helping him stay the course at a moment when he considered leaving law school altogether. That decision ultimately led him to appellate practice, where he now represents the state in criminal appeals.

“There are a lot of students who may not feel like they’ve found their place yet,” he said. “But you will. And when you do, it makes all the difference.”

In the influential publication’s 2026 , Elon Law is No. 11 nationally — the highest-ranked law school in the Southeast and the only school in North Carolina among the top 35.

, with its required Residency-in-Practice Program highlighted as a model for immersive, practice-based legal education. All Elon Law students spend 10 weeks in the winter or spring of their second year in full-time placements with practicing lawyers, judges and legal teams, graduating with hands-on experience in the day-to-day realities of legal practice.

“You cannot graduate from Elon Law without knowing exactly what it’s like to be a lawyer,” Elon Law Dean Zak Kramer said in the article. “The legal practice becomes their classroom … They leave law students and come back lawyers.”

The article also features insights from Patricia Perkins, Elon Law’s associate dean of academic affairs and professor of law. “Our curriculum is designed to assist students in transforming into the lawyers they want to be,” she said. “Skills are just as important to develop as a knowledge base.”

PreLaw Magazine graded and ranked schools based on student participation in clinics, externships, simulation courses, moot court and other special programs.

Elon Law offers students a broad array of opportunities to hone practical training skills throughout their 2.5 years of study. Those include:

• Full-time residencies-in-practice
• Lab and simulation courses
• Five clinics (immigration, small business and entrepreneurship, wills drafting, Social Security disability benefits and guardian ad litem appellate advocacy)
• Moot court and mock trial teams
• Internships, externships and judicial clerkships
• Bridge-to-practice courses
• Involvement with the Pro Bono Board

Elon Law adopted its 2.5-year, seven-trimester full-time curriculum in 2014, making it the only American law school to intentionally design a program where all students graduate in December and can sit for the February bar exam — months ahead of peers from other institutions. (In 2026, 91.96% of Elon Law’s first-time North Carolina bar takers passed the exam.)

By completing their legal studies nearly six months faster than traditional programs, Elon Law’s full-time graduates have lowered their average student debt at graduation by almost a third since the curriculum was adopted.

For more information on Elon Law and the application process, visit the law school’s admissions page. Elon Law continues to actively admit the Elon Law Class of 2028, which will enroll in August 2026.