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

Ìęłą’25

51±ŹÁÏÍű 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.

51±ŹÁÏÍű 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 51±ŹÁÏÍű 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.

51±ŹÁÏÍű 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 51±ŹÁÏÍű 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 undergraduate 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 undergraduate 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.

The corporations, athletes and entertainers at the center of those industries generate opportunity and influence that extend well beyond the spotlight, fueling local businesses and the people around them. That broader community impact is where Schultz aims to make her mark in the legal field.

She got a firsthand look at the breadth of that work during her Residency-in-Practice this winter at Apollo Sports and Entertainment Law Group — a boutique firm in Charlotte that counsels clients across a range of matters, from contracts, sponsorships and endorsements to intellectual property and brand protection.

“I’ve really enjoyed knowing that the work we do has a meaningful impact,” Schultz said. “These organizations and individuals have a real connection to their communities, and being part of that has been important to me.”

Before enrolling in law school, Schultz spent nearly eight years teaching elementary school after earning a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a Master of Arts in Teaching from the University of North Carolina Wilmington. Working with students and their families, she discovered a passion for advocacy that ultimately led her to pursue a legal career.

Schultz said Elon Law’s emphasis on experiential learning played a significant role in her decision to attend the school. The Residency-in-Practice Program, a cornerstone of Elon Law’s curriculum, places every second-year student in a full-time, 10-week residency with a judge or practicing lawyer, giving students the opportunity to apply classroom concepts in real legal settings.

At Apollo Sports and Entertainment Law Group in Charlotte, Schultz received close mentorship from the law firm’s team of attorneys working on matters ranging from document drafting to client interviewing. It was an inside look at the legal field that strengthened practical skills and confidence she will carry into her legal career.

“This has confirmed that I can succeed in this area and that I really enjoy the work,” Schultz said. “I’m full steam ahead on this path after law school.”

Below, Schultz reflects on her residency experience and what she learned while working with the Apollo team.

What inspired you to pursue a career in law, and why sports and entertainment law?

Before law school, I taught elementary school for seven and a half years, working with kindergarten, first, second and fifth graders. One of the parts of teaching I loved most was advocating for students and their families and helping them navigate challenges. Law felt like a natural next step to build on that advocacy and develop the skills and credentials to support people in new ways.

I became interested in sports and entertainment law as name, image and likeness (NIL) opportunities began reshaping college athletics. Not everyone comes from financial privilege or financial security, and NIL allows student-athletes to pursue a degree while also helping support themselves and their families.

Why were you interested in completing your residency with Apollo Sports and Entertainment Law Group?

Apollo stood out to me because of the breadth of work the firm handles across the sports and entertainment industries. The attorneys work on a wide range of matters, from brand agreements and trademark issues to litigation and transactional work, and I wanted the opportunity to see how those different areas come together in practice.

I was also drawn to the firm’s boutique environment. Working with a smaller team provided the opportunity to take on meaningful assignments, receive direct feedback and better understand the reasoning behind the work we were doing. The combination of variety and mentorship made it an ideal place to learn.

What were your daily responsibilities?

Every day was different, which was one of the most exciting parts of the experience. I worked on a variety of projects ranging from reviewing employee handbooks for compliance with state and federal laws to conducting trademark clearance checks and drafting legal documents.

I also helped redline different agreements, like revenue-sharing agreements, and drafted settlement and cease-and-desist letters.

What was it like working with the attorneys at Apollo Law Group?

The mentorship was incredible. Every attorney in the firm played a role in guiding me through the work and explaining the reasoning behind different legal decisions. They were truly mentors in every sense of the word.

They trusted me with meaningful assignments, like redlining agreements and participating in client meetings, and then walked through the work with me afterward. That process helped me understand not only the legal details but also how attorneys approach problems by prioritizing the client’s best interest and overall goals.

What skills did you strengthen during the residency?

Contract drafting and redlining were two of the biggest skills I developed during the placement. Those are tools that I now feel confident using in practice.

My legal research skills also improved, especially learning how to locate information efficiently and communicate it clearly. I also became more comfortable interacting with clients and working in a professional legal environment.

What advice would you give to students searching for a residency placement?

Think carefully about the kind of legal work you want to do long-term and try to align your residency with those goals. The placement gives you 10 weeks of hands-on experience with attorneys who are committed to helping you learn. Choose a residency that will give you meaningful experience and help you grow professionally. It’s an opportunity to confirm what type of work you enjoy before you begin your career.

At Elon Law, Schultz is vice president of the Student Bar Association, a student mentor and teaching assistant. She is an active member of student organizations including the Women’s Law Association, the Sports & Entertainment Law Society, First Gen Society, and OUTLaw.

Craige traveled to Washington, D.C., to attend oral arguments in two cases — including those for a closely watched immigration asylum case — after securing tickets through the Court’s public lottery.

“It was an unforgettable experience to watch the Justices engage in real time: asking questions, testing arguments and shaping the legal issues I’ve spent the past few years studying,” Craige said.

A 2024 graduate of 51±ŹÁÏÍű with a degree in psychology, Craige’s interest in law grew from a desire to lead, advocate and serve her community. At Elon Law, she is a Leadership Fellow and member of the Moot Court Board. The daughter of a U.S. Air Force family, she spent much of her childhood on and near military bases, including in Stuttgart, Germany. Her family now lives in northern Virginia.

During her visit, the Court heard arguments in Keathley v. Buddy Ayers Construction, a bankruptcy case, and Noem v. Al Otro Lado, which centers on the rights of asylum seekers at the U.S.–Mexico border. Craige was especially struck by the immigration case. Justices closely examined the meaning of statutory language, parsing even what it means to “arrive” in the United States. The questioning, she said, revealed how minute distinctions in wording can carry significant consequences in how the law is applied.

“It was incredible to see how even small details can shape the outcome of a case,” she said.

The experience felt both familiar and surreal. Craige recognized concepts from class while watching justices press attorneys in real time.

She also experienced something impossible to capture in textbooks and manuals: The rhythm of the room.

“Seeing the justices interact, even joking at times, made it feel less abstract,” Craige said. “It reminded me these are real people behind the decisions we study.”

This spring, Craige is completing her Residency-in-Practice with the Guilford County District Attorney’s Office. She is exploring a future in the Judge Advocate General’s Corps, a return to the kind of service that shaped her childhood.

“Moments like this remind me why I chose this path,” she said.

Results from the February 2026 exam were released Wednesday, April 1, by the . Elon Law’s result far exceeds the statewide first-time passage rate of 74.78% and the school’s previous high of 82%, set by Elon Law’s charter class in 2009.

The Class of 2025’s success reflects a sustained, school-wide focus on teaching, preparation, and student support, all aimed at helping graduates succeed not only on the bar exam, but in their legal careers.

“This is what Elon Law is all about,” said Zak Kramer, dean of Elon Law. “We’re in the dream-making business. The better our students perform, the faster they can begin making an impact as lawyers.”

An upward trajectory

In recent years, faculty and staff have aligned around the mission of excellence on the bar exam. They adopted a new motto and mindset: “One and Done.”

The gains are striking. First-time passage has climbed from 52.8% for the Class of 2021 to 91.96% for the Class of 2025, with steady increases along the way, including 79.4% for the Class of 2023, and 73.5% for the Class of 2024.

These efforts are part of a broader vision. Elon Law’s faculty continuously refine how they teach for real-world lawyering. The school’s 2.5-year J.D. program accelerates students’ path to the profession — with a December graduation and February bar exam — while reducing the cost of a legal education. Recognized nationally for practical training with an A+ rating from PreLaw Magazine, Elon Law prepares graduates to enter the profession with confidence and experience.

“We’re so proud of our students who took the bar,” said Jenny Lane, assistant dean for academic success. “We gave them the mission, ‘Commit, complete, conquer,’ and that’s exactly what they did.”

With its highest bar pass rate in recent history and a multi-year trend of steady growth, Elon Law is on a sustained upward trajectory.

“Big things are happening at Elon Law,” Kramer said, “and we’re just getting started.”

51±ŹÁÏÍű 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 nearly 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 a Top 10 placement and 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.

51±ŹÁÏÍű 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 enrolled its second cohort in fall 2025.

Recent Elon Law graduate Dmitri McKinney L’25 appeared as a contestant on where a legal hypothetical (or what sounded like one) led him astray.

Calling in from his hometown of Elon, McKinney joined host Peter Sagal for the program’s “Bluff the Listener” segment, where contestants try to identify the real news story among three humorous options presented by the show’s panelists.

During his introduction, McKinney shared that he had recently graduated from Elon Law and hopes to pursue public service or civil rights work, drawing applause from the audience.

When the panelists shared three unusual New York City stories, McKinney joked that one option — involving a tourist suing over a painfully spicy taco — sounded like something straight out of a first-year law class.

“I’m not saying this is the real one, but Paula (Poundstone)’s story sounded like a tort hypothetical that I know a lot of the 1Ls went through a couple of months ago,” he said.

Ironically, that lawsuit story turned out to be the real one.

“All of the answer choices were so entertaining, but I thought there was no way that the real answer would essentially be a giant torts foreseeability hypothetical!” McKinney said afterward. “I wound up picking Alonzo Bodden’s story because it was so kind-hearted.”

He appeared on the show after submitting an online form shortly after graduating from Elon Law in December.

“I have been a lifelong listener of NPR and of ‘Wait Wait 
 Don’t Tell Me!’ so I wanted being on the show to mark a special occasion,” McKinney said. “Someone from the show texted me last week asking if I still wanted to be on the show. It was an absolute delight.”

At Elon Law, McKinney was a Presidential Scholar, Leadership Fellow, editor-in-chief of We the People: Elon Law’s Constitutional Law Journal, president of the Innocence Organization, Law School Democrats and active on the Honor Council. He earned undergraduate degrees from North Carolina State University in chemistry and political science.