Last year, Kramer challenged the Class of 2025 to achieve an overall first-time bar passage rate of 83%, a mark that would have been the highest in Elon Law history.

The class鈥檚 Student Bar Association president had a counterproposal: What if they reached 85%? Would the dean get a tattoo?

Kramer said yes.

The Class of 2025 responded with a 90.9% overall first-time bar passage rate across North Carolina and 11 other states.

On Sept. 4, Kramer responded by rolling up his sleeve.

At Frozen Pines Tattoo in Gibsonville, North Carolina, shop co-founder and tattoo artist Annie Bella inked 鈥淥ne and Done鈥� on the dean’s arm, a reference to Elon Law鈥檚 slogan around bar preparation and passing the bar examination on the first try.

Law School Dean Zak Kramer kept his promise to the Class of 2025, emblazoning the "One and Done" slogan permanently on his left arm Friday, Sept. 4, 2026.

Dean Zak Kramer's expressive face was on full display as he got his "One and Done" tattoo Friday, Sept. 4, at Frozen Pines Tattoo in Gibsonville.

Dean Zak Kramer laughs as Annie Bella of Frozen Pines Tattoo in Gibsonville completes the mark on his left arm.

Artist Annie Bella of Frozen Pines Tattoo in Gibsonville completes detail work on Dean Zak Kramer's tattoo.

Dean Zak Kramer grimaces as tattoo artist Annie Bella of Frozen Pines Tattoo in Gibsonville begins work.

Law School dean Zak Kramer sits for a 鈥�1 and done鈥� tattoo on September 04, 2026.

Law School Dean Zak Kramer admires the 鈥淥ne and Done鈥� tattoo on his arm Sept. 04, 2026, at Frozen Pine Tattoo in Gibsonville.

Law School Dean Zak Kramer admires the 鈥淥ne and Done鈥� tattoo on his arm Sept. 04, 2026, at Frozen Pine Tattoo in Gibsonville.

Elon Law Dean Zak Kramer kept his promise to the Class of 2025, emblazoning the "One and Done" slogan permanently on his left arm Friday, Sept. 4, 2026.

The tattoo celebrates a significant achievement for the Class of 2025 and Elon Law. In addition to the 90.9% overall first-time passage rate nationwide, class members taking spring exams also achieved a 91.96% first-time passage rate on the North Carolina Bar Examination.

Elon Law鈥檚 accelerated 2.5-year J.D. program allows students to graduate in December and take the bar in February, months ahead of the traditional three-year law school timeline.

Kramer isn鈥檛 letting the Class of 2026 rest on its predecessors鈥� success. He’s challenged this December鈥檚 graduating class to raise the bar again when they sit for the exam in February.

What kinds of promises will he make them? That remains to be seen.

So, how did this one go?

鈥淥w,鈥� Kramer said just afterward, 鈥渂ut I鈥檓 happy to do it. Proud of the students.鈥�

鈥淎 deal鈥檚 a deal.鈥�

New members were selected based on their academic standing, quality of legal writing, and strong performances in the school鈥檚 oral advocacy competition and auditions.

Moot Court Board

Thirty-eight members of the Class of 2027 have been named to the Moot Court Board:

• Brianna Arnovits L鈥�27
• Aislynn Bell L鈥�27
• Gabrielle Brown L鈥�27
• Vivian Camplin L鈥�27
• Megan Chen L鈥�27
• Will Courts L鈥�27
• Kali Crooks L鈥�27
• Madison Curtis L鈥�27
• Samantha Davis L鈥�27
• Frank Deronja L鈥�27
• Aarya Deshmukh L鈥�27
• Madison Emsermann L鈥�27
• Paulina Escobar L鈥�27
• Skylar Flechsig L鈥�27
• Kayleigh Foster L鈥�27
• Jacqueline Gardner L鈥�27
• Abigail Halloway L鈥�27
• Zaria Hanchell L鈥�27
• Kyla King L鈥�27
• Arden Latham L鈥�27
• Anthony Logrono L鈥�27
• Nicole Malagon L鈥�27
• Michael Maroney L鈥�27
• Kassidy Neuner L鈥�27
• Addison Noe L鈥�27
• Grant Paramore L鈥�27
• Carson Patterson L鈥�27
• Bryanna Rediger L鈥�27
• Clare Rudolph L鈥�27
• Queen Salaam L鈥�27
• Alex Sarmiento L鈥�27
• Lily Selznick L鈥�27
• McKenzie Swedin L鈥�27
• Baron Turner L鈥�27
• Avery Vidt L鈥�27
• Rachel Wilson L鈥�27
• Adelaide Zahren L鈥�27
• Libby Zapor L鈥�27

Board members were selected based on a combination of their performance in the spring 2026 Intramural Moot Court Competition, their appellate brief writing in Legal Method and Communication, and their overall academic record.

Members of the Moot Court Board represent Elon Law in external appellate advocacy competitions and help organize the law school鈥檚 internal and national moot court competitions.

鈥淭hese new board members have demonstrated that they can analyze difficult legal questions, craft persuasive arguments and advocate effectively before a panel of judges,鈥� said Vice Dean and Professor of Law Alan Woodlief, director of Elon Law鈥檚 Moot Court Program. 鈥淲e look forward to seeing them represent Elon Law in competitions across the country and work alongside our Class of 2026 board members to host this fall鈥檚 17th Billings, Exum & Frye National Moot Court Competition.鈥�

The new members will also help organize Elon Law鈥檚 spring 2027 Intramural Moot Court Competition and the fall 2027 Billings, Exum & Frye National Moot Court Competition.

Mock Trial Team

Following auditions last spring, eight members of the Class of 2027 were also selected for Elon Law鈥檚 2026鈥�2027 Mock Trial Team:

• Aislynn Bell L鈥�27
• Gabrielle Brown L鈥�27
• Sam Grant L鈥�27
• Kyla King L鈥�27
• Arden Latham L鈥�27
• Grant Paramore L鈥�27
• Avery Vidt L鈥�27
• Rachel Wilson L鈥�27

The Mock Trial Team gives students opportunities to develop courtroom advocacy skills and represent Elon Law in trial competitions.

鈥淭hese students put in the work and brought their A-game to earn their places on the team,鈥� said Adjunct Professor of Law Bob Minarcin, who coordinates Elon Law鈥檚 Mock Trial program. 鈥淗ere’s to a fantastic season and an even better team.鈥�

Assistant Professor of Law Robert Craig, Assistant Dean of Experiential Education Bryant Park, Assistant Professor of Law Susan Ross and Assistant Professor of Law Heather Scavone join the law school with professional backgrounds spanning federal courts, civil rights advocacy, corporate legal practice, career and experiential education and federal immigration policy. Their experiences will shape courses and programs that prepare students for both the intellectual demands and practical realities of the legal profession.

Craig, Park and Ross are based in Greensboro, while Scavone returns to the School of Law as a member of the faculty in Charlotte.

Here鈥檚 a bit more about each of them as Elon Law prepares to begin the Fall trimester next week.

Robert Craig, Assistant Professor of Law

Robert Craig brings to Elon Law a career spanning the K-12 classroom, federal courts and constitutional civil rights advocacy.

A Tucson, Arizona, native, Craig studied philosophy and political science at the University of Arizona before joining Teach For America and teaching fifth grade in Phoenix. He earned a master鈥檚 degree in elementary education from Arizona State University and later a J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania.

Craig clerked for Judge Andrew D. Hurwitz of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and Judge James A. Soto of the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona. He then spent seven years in nonprofit legal practice focused on plaintiffs-side federal constitutional and civil rights issues, including due process, private prisons and the delegation of government authority.

At Elon, Craig will teach Constitutional Law I & II and First Amendment. He was drawn to the law school鈥檚 emphasis on innovative and experiential teaching 鈥� something he has considered throughout a career that began in an elementary school classroom.

Craig enjoys seeing students grasp new ideas, but teaching also allows him to encounter familiar cases and concepts through students鈥� perspectives. Each semester offers a chance to learn something new and refine his approach.

鈥淭here鈥檚 a built-in natural way to get better,鈥� he said.

Craig and his wife, Erin Duncan-O鈥橬eill, have two children, Connor and Wren. Outside the classroom, he enjoys golf, soccer, games, and science-fiction and fantasy novels.

Bryant Park, Assistant Dean of Experiential Education

Bryant Park joined Elon Law to lead the continued refinement and growth of its signature Residency-in-Practice Program in Greensboro and Charlotte.

The program places every full-time student in an immersive legal setting during their second year, where they work alongside attorneys and judges while developing the practical skills, professional judgment and confidence needed to enter the profession. Park was drawn to a model that ensures every full-time student receives that experience.

鈥淟aw school does a great job of helping you think like a lawyer, but not necessarily all the nitty-gritty of how to be a lawyer,鈥� Park said. At Elon Law, the required Residency bridges that gap for every student through experience working with clients and colleagues and learning the everyday mechanics of legal practice.

Park brings experience in legal practice, career development and experiential education. He began his career practicing family and elder law in Wisconsin and most recently served as senior associate director of career and professional development at the University of South Carolina Joseph F. Rice School of Law.

A first-generation law student and lawyer, Park earned his bachelor鈥檚 degree in English creative writing from the University of Minnesota Twin Cities and his J.D. from Marquette University Law School. The Wisconsin native enjoys puzzles, LEGO and figuring out how things work. He recently built his first computer 鈥� and discovered he enjoyed building it as much as using it.

Susan Ross, Assistant Professor of Law

After two years as a visiting professor, Susan Ross joins Elon Law鈥檚 full-time Legal Method & Communication faculty with decades of experience spanning engineering and corporate law.

Ross spent much of her legal career as an in-house attorney, including nearly a decade with Vontier and Gilbarco Veeder-Root and seven years with a Triangle-based technology company later acquired by Oracle. Her work encompassed contracts and negotiations, mergers and acquisitions, employment law, litigation management, environmental matters and corporate management, including service as chief legal officer for the Americas.

Raised in Arizona, Ross studied engineering at Duke University before working as an engineer and earning her J.D. from Arizona State University. She has taught throughout her career, from tutoring and serving as a teaching assistant to leading continuing legal education programs.

At Elon, Ross teaches Legal Method & Communication courses and is developing a course on artificial intelligence and the practice of law. Having seen the internet transform legal practice early in her career, she views AI as the profession鈥檚 next technological shift.

鈥淲e鈥檙e not going to get rid of AI,鈥� Ross said. 鈥淲e need to lean into it and find a way to teach students to use it responsibly.鈥�

Ross, a longtime Greensboro resident, has an adult son and two dogs. And students can expect each class to begin with one of her favorite teaching tools: a dad joke.

Heather Scavone, Assistant Professor of Law

Heather Scavone returns to Elon Law with deep roots at the law school and years of experience shaping federal immigration policy.

Scavone first joined Elon in 2010 after directing a Greensboro legal services program for refugees. Working with founding faculty member Helen Grant, she helped establish Elon Law鈥檚 Humanitarian Immigration Law Clinic, creating an opportunity for students to serve clients while putting their legal education into practice.

She left Elon in 2018 to join U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), where she served as associate counsel in the Refugee Asylum Law Division of the Office of the Chief Counsel. During her federal service, she served as a legal and policy advisor to USCIS and DHS leadership on matters involving humanitarian protection, administrative law, national security, and federal immigration policy. Her work included advising on complex regulatory and statutory issues, supporting the Department of Justice in class action litigation, drafting certiorari recommendations to the U.S. Office of the Solicitor General, and briefing members of Congress and senior executive branch officials on areas of subject-matter expertise.

Now an assistant professor at Elon Law in Charlotte, Scavone will teach Constitutional Law and Professional Responsibility. Her executive branch experience provides a particularly timely foundation for exploring constitutional law and separation of powers with students.

For Scavone, teaching offers another way to expand the impact of her legal career. Students who have transformative experiences in law school, she said, become 鈥渢he ripples that just keep going out鈥� as they serve clients and communities.

Scavone earned a bachelor鈥檚 degree in French from Guilford College and her J.D., cum laude, from North Carolina Central University School of Law.

Outside of the classroom, Scavone enjoys baking, playing traditional Irish music with her father, and going on international adventures with her husband and children.

鈥淎 Changing Landscape: Immigration Law in the 21st Century鈥� will bring attorneys and scholars to 福利亚洲国产精品 School of Law in downtown Greensboro on Friday, Sept. 25, to examine the complexities of the nation鈥檚 laws and policies.

The symposium will explore how questions surrounding borders, power and the rule of law intersect with contemporary legal challenges. Speakers will address asylum, policy changes, family immigration law, as well as employment and humanitarian issues at the day-long event.

A Changing Landscape: Immigration Law in the 21st Century

Friday, Sept. 25, 2026

9 a.m. 鈥� 4 p.m.

福利亚洲国产精品 School of Law

201 N. Greene St.

Greensboro, NC 27401

The event is free and open to the public. Seating is limited. Please register early to reserve a spot.

Keynote Address

鈥淭he Complexities of Immigration Policy鈥�

, founder of New Frontier Immigration Law and TEDx speaker

Panel Discussions

Seeking Asylum 鈥� Hands-On Immigration Law

• Dara Arroyo-Longoria L鈥�22, attorney at McKinney Immigration Law
• Heather Scavone, assistant professor of law and former associate counsel at the Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services

American Immigration

• Jordin Dickerson, assistant professor of political science and public administration at the University of North Carolina at Pembroke
• Tolulope Folokun, assistant professor of law at the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law
• Allen Orr Jr., founder and principal attorney of Orr Immigration Law Firm

The Family Immigration Landscape

• Kailey Houck, judicial law clerk for Justice Melissa Hart and Justice Susan Blanco of the Colorado Supreme Court
• Maria Rosales, executive director of FaithAction International

In addition to the keynote address and panel discussions, the symposium will feature remarks from Elon Law Dean Zak Kramer; Chief Symposium Editor Rose Peterson L鈥�26; Co-Symposium Editors Abigail MacKnight L鈥�26 and Lauren Collins L鈥�26; and Elon Law Review Editor-in-Chief Rachel Claffee L鈥�26.

福利亚洲国产精品 Elon Law Review

The Elon Law Review is a student-edited legal journal that publishes scholarship examining emerging issues and developments in the law. Through its scholarship and annual symposium, the Law Review fosters legal dialogue among scholars, attorneys, judges and students while contributing to the study and practice of law.

福利亚洲国产精品 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, full-time Residency-in-Practice field placement for all full-time students during the winter or spring of their second year. The law school鈥檚 distinctive curriculum offers a logically sequenced program of professional preparation and is accomplished in 2.5 years, providing exceptional value by lowering tuition and permitting graduates early entry into their careers.

Elon Law has graduated more than 2,000 alumni since its establishment in downtown Greensboro in 2006. Its annual enrollment now tops 600 students, and the law school is regularly featured in the top tier of preLaw Magazine鈥檚 鈥淏est Schools for Practical Training鈥� rankings.

Elon Law offers full-time legal education in Greensboro and a part-time, in-person Flex Program in Charlotte. In 2026, the American Bar Association approved Elon Law to expand its signature 2.5-year J.D. program to Charlotte.

Beginning in Fall 2027, students in Charlotte鈥檚 full-time and Flex programs will attend classes on the Queens University of Charlotte campus in Myers Park. Elon Law will continue to offer its full-time 2.5-year J.D. program at its downtown Greensboro campus.

“Your future will be shaped far less by the titles you earn than by the person you become while earning them,” said Taylor, delivering the annual Call to Honor in downtown Greensboro’s Steven Tanger Center for the Performing Arts. “I hope people know you as someone they can trust. Someone who’s prepared. Someone who listens. Someone who treats everyone with dignity. Someone who uses the law not simply to make a living, but to make a difference.”

Taylor serves North Carolina’s Judicial District 8, hearing cases in Edgecombe, Nash and Wilson counties following her 2025 appointment by Governor Josh Stein. Drawing on her own path from Elon Law graduate to assistant district attorney, private practice attorney, adjunct professor and judge, she reminded students that the most meaningful legal careers are built one opportunity 鈥� and one relationship 鈥� at a time.

Taylor didn鈥檛 imagine becoming a judge when she arrived at law school. In fact, she’d planned on a career in sports and entertainment law. But through her law school experiences, including a Residency-in-Practice with the Guilford County Public Defender’s Office and an internship at the Alamance County District Attorney’s Office, she found her calling.

She implored students to remain open to opportunities they cannot yet see, trusting that each experience will prepare them for what comes next.

Throughout her remarks, Taylor encouraged students to:

• “Walk through every door” Elon Law opens, knowing that the lessons you learn and the skills you develop may prepare you for tomorrow’s unexpected paths.
• Never stop learning, remaining curious, humble and open to growth throughout your legal career.
• Remember the people behind every case, approaching each client with compassion and respect as well as legal skill.

Student Bar Association President Trey Sharpe McClenny L’26 echoed Taylor’s message, reminding students that the legal profession is defined by character.

“Law school will provide you a lot of titles beyond lawyer,鈥� McClenny said. 鈥淵ou will become a counselor, an advocate, an officer of the court. But to many, you will simply become their lawyer on speed dial. Wear those titles with kindness and compassion. Be someone that others trust and want beside them.鈥�

Provost Rebecca Kohn welcomed students to 福利亚洲国产精品 and introduced one of the university’s longstanding traditions. Named for the Hebrew word for “oak,” Elon presents each new student with an acorn symbolizing the beginning of their academic journey. At graduation, students receive an oak sapling representing the growth they have experienced during their time at Elon and the continued growth that lies ahead.

Kohn also highlighted the close faculty mentorship and academic rigor that define the Elon experience.

“Elon Law faculty engage with students both inside and outside the classroom,鈥� Kohn said. 鈥淭hey’re known for their accessibility and responsiveness to students, and they will stretch you and challenge you more than you thought possible.鈥�

Elon Law Dean Zak Kramer closed the ceremony by reflecting on a conversation with with Taylor before Convocation. Taylor told him she hadn鈥檛 envisioned becoming a judge until an Elon Law mentor recognized qualities in her that she had not yet seen in herself. Building on Taylor’s message, Kramer encouraged students to embrace every opportunity at law school, reminding them that each one will shape their careers in unexpected ways.

“We don’t know yet where your career is going to take you, but I promise you that each and every one of us at Elon is completely committed to helping you get there,鈥� Kramer said. 鈥淲e will take your dreams seriously, we will hold them precious, and we will do everything in our power to launch you into the life that you have imagined.鈥�

In the The article examines how federal housing policies contributed to racial disparities in homeownership and wealth accumulation and argues that Housing Choice Vouchers should be viewed not only as rental assistance, but also as a vehicle for sustainable homeownership. Drawing on historical analysis of federal housing programs and lending practices, Newman argues that government housing policies have played a significant role in shaping economic opportunity and wealth-building across generations. Newman proposes reforms that would enable more recipients of federal housing subsidies to leverage that assistance as a pathway to homeownership, helping expand access to intergenerational wealth-building opportunities.

Newman also published a In the essay, Newman examines University of Richmond School of Law Professor Carol Brown鈥檚 article 鈥淎 Civil Rights Defense of Gentrification,鈥� that challenges the conventional assumption that neighborhood reinvestment and gentrification inevitably displace existing residents. Newman highlights Brown’s argument that legal tools such as inclusionary zoning and affordability protections can allow redevelopment to occur in a way that promotes both opportunity and inclusion, and without widespread displacement.

Together, the two publications reflect Newman鈥檚 broader research agenda, which examines how property law and housing policy shape wealth creation, neighborhood development, and racial inequality, with a particular focus on the legal institutions that govern access to homeownership and economic mobility.

Newman joined the Elon Law faculty in 2022 and teaches Property, Wills and Trusts, and Real Estate Transactions. Her teaching and scholarship focus on property, real estate and housing law, with particular interests in housing and economic development. She earned her B.A. from the University of Chicago and a dual J.D./M.S. in Urban and Regional Planning from the University of Iowa.

Before entering academia, Newman worked in the commercial real estate development field for firms in Miami, Florida, and Charlotte, North Carolina, specializing in structuring multilayered financing for mixed-income, multifamily housing developments. That professional experience continues to inform her research and teaching. She later served as a Louis Westerfield Fellow at Loyola University New Orleans College of Law.

Newman chairs the Legal Education Committee of the Uniform Laws Group of the American Bar Association’s Section of Real Property, Trust and Estate Law Section (RPTE), serves as a contributing editor for JOTWELL’s Property section, and is a member of the Trusts Drafting Committee of the North Carolina General Statutes Commission. She also serves on the Executive Council for the Florida Bar鈥檚 Out-of-State Division and as a member of the Mecklenburg County Citizens Revaluation Commission.

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.

鈥淲e are incredibly proud of the Class of 2025,鈥� Dean Zak Kramer said. 鈥淥ur graduates put in the work and supported each other along the way. Together, they raised the bar for all future Elon Law graduates.鈥�

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聽鈥� beginning in Fall 2027 鈥� Charlotte. Students 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.

鈥� Assistant Dean for Academic Success Jenny Lane

This year鈥檚 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.

鈥淲hat is special about this class is that they truly embodied Elon Law鈥檚 鈥極ne and Done鈥� mission,鈥� said Jenny Lane, assistant dean for academic success. 鈥淭hey understood the power of coming together as a community and conquering the bar exam.

鈥淚t 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.鈥�

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.

鈥淭he value proposition of this law school is incredible,鈥� Kramer said. 鈥淎 skills-based education, in 2.5 years, with incredible outcomes like this. Big things are happening at Elon Law and we鈥檙e just getting started.鈥�

This volume includes articles from contributors to the law review鈥檚 2025 symposium, 鈥淏reaking News: First Amendment on Trial,鈥� which explored emerging challenges to free speech and expression. It also features legal analysis by Elon Law graduates of the Class of 2025.

Published annually by Elon Law students, the Elon Law Review is dedicated to advancing thoughtful, practice-informed legal scholarship that engages timely and complex legal questions shaping the profession and society.

The volume continues the journal鈥檚 commitment to rigorous analysis of emerging legal issues.

鈥淭he Elon Law Review is proud to present Volume 18 to scholars, practitioners and readers interested in timely legal issues,鈥� said Rachel Claffee L鈥�26, the journal鈥檚 editor-in-chief. 鈥淭his edition features scholarship exploring how artificial intelligence and emerging technologies are reshaping the First Amendment and journalism. It also includes analysis of juvenile commercial sexual exploitation courts, racial annexation in rural North Carolina, the reasonable doubt standard, and disaster resilience, including work completed by members of the Elon Law Review Class of 2025.鈥�

At 福利亚洲国产精品 School of Law, Dean Emeritus and Professor of Law Luke Bierman left his mark on a curriculum unlike any other in legal education: a 2.5-year J.D. program built around a full-time Residency-in-Practice. Already proven 鈥渁 law school with a difference,鈥� that curriculum has become a nationally recognized model of experiential legal education, consistently ranked for the quality of its programs and the success of its graduates.

鈥淓verything that distinguishes Elon Law today traces back to Luke鈥檚 vision and the decisions he made to reimagine legal education,鈥� said Dean Zak Kramer. 鈥淥ur students learn the law by living it, and that distinctive model continues to shape every graduate who walks across our stage.鈥�

Faculty, staff, university leaders and friends gathered May 12 in the Elon Law Library to celebrate Bierman鈥檚 career and unveil an impressively detail portrait painted by Laurel Boeck, honoring a teacher, scholar and dean whose influence continues to impact every Elon Law student.

鈥淲ithout question, Luke was the right person to lead Elon Law when he arrived in 2014,鈥� said Vice Dean Alan Woodlief, who has served as an associate or vice dean since the law school鈥檚 inception, on May 12. 鈥淟uke is truly an innovator, and his innovations at Elon Law have been central to the school鈥檚 success and prosperity over the past 12 years.鈥�

When Bierman arrived, legal education faced a crisis of cost, time and relevance. Applications were plummeting nationwide, and critics 鈥� including then-President Barack Obama 鈥� argued that law school took too long, cost too much and left too many graduates unprepared for the realities of practice.

Bierman turned that critique into an opportunity.

Working with Elon Law鈥檚 faculty and staff, he led the curriculum redesign, shortened the path to a law degree and embedded every student in full-time legal residency before graduation. Elon Law students now complete their degrees in seven trimesters over 2.5 years and spend a full trimester in a course-connected Residency-in-Practice that pairs them with judges and lawyers in judicial chambers, law firms, businesses, government agencies and other organizations. Tying the residency program to academic requirements emphasizes professional development and mentorship from both faculty and site supervisors.

The redesign reduced average student loan debt by nearly 30 percent 鈥� a fact he鈥檚 most proud of 鈥� and propelled Elon Law to record enrollment, stronger academic credentials, improved bar passage and employment outcomes, and sustained national recognition for practical training. In 2021, the American Bar Association reaccredited the law school following a successful review under Bierman鈥檚 leadership.

鈥淟uke Bierman鈥檚 contributions to 福利亚洲国产精品 extend far beyond his tenure as dean of the School of Law,鈥� said 福利亚洲国产精品 President Connie Ledoux Book. 鈥淗e guided Elon Law through a period of transformative change and continued to invest in our students as a teacher and mentor. His legacy is reflected in the strength of the law school, its distinctive place in legal education, and the generations of lawyers who will continue to find their purpose at Elon Law.鈥�

鈥湼＠侵薰� has been fortunate to have the right dean at the right time in the evolution of its young law school,鈥� said Leo M. Lambert, 福利亚洲国产精品鈥檚 president emeritus and professor of education. 鈥淒ean Bierman brought a tremendous spirit of innovation and experimentation to Elon Law, building on Elon鈥檚 national reputation for experiential learning. It was a perfect DNA match.鈥�

鈥淟uke is first and foremost a teacher, and a lawyer second,鈥� said Steven D. House, who served as Elon鈥檚 provost from 2009 through 2019. 鈥淗is focus has been and always will be transformation. The program he built transforms students鈥� lives while strengthening and serving the broader legal and civic community.鈥�

An Educator First

Bierman always carries two items with him: A Bic pen and a pocket Constitution.

For him, they symbolize a commitment to teaching and to the institutions that sustain democracy. As dean, he began the tradition of giving every Elon Law student a pocket Constitution.

鈥淓ducation is important to us because we know how important it is to America,鈥� Bierman said May 12. 鈥淭homas Jefferson, James Madison and all those folks from 250 years ago thought that education was incredibly important to the American experiment in self-government. That鈥檚 the rule of law. That鈥檚 what we鈥檙e here at this law school and across the country thinking about and are terribly worried about at this moment in our national history.鈥�

He is a third-generation lawyer but didn鈥檛 grow up anticipating a legal career. Perhaps because of that, his career rarely followed a straight line.

He moved among roles in legal practice, public service, policy and higher education, pursuing work that interested him and challenged him. Before joining Elon Law in 2014, he served as associate dean for experiential education at Northeastern University School of Law, executive director of the Institute for Emerging Issues at North Carolina State University, general counsel to the New York State Comptroller and leader of the American Bar Association Judicial Division. These responsibilities reflect academic and professional achievements that include election to Phi Beta Kappa and the American Law Institute.

鈥淭he attraction was to do something different where I could learn something,鈥� Bierman said recently. 鈥淐oming to Elon to think about curriculum and curricular programs and activities was natural for me.鈥�

That motivation 鈥� to learn, to experiment, to acquire new skills 鈥� stemmed from a core family value: Education.

鈥淚 think of myself as an educator, maybe even more than I think of myself as a lawyer,鈥� Bierman said.

He is the second of three generations of teachers. His mother taught in public schools. His sister leads a school in Vermont. Two of his daughters work in education, and all three have earned doctoral degrees.

Reflecting on his legacy at Elon Law, he returned to the same concerns that guided Elon Law鈥檚 transformation.

鈥淚 do hope the work that we did at Elon Law remains. The ideas about cost, length and relevance: I hope those remain top of mind. Higher education is critically important in the world. We need to be responsive to how the world functions and operates.鈥�

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 福利亚洲国产精品 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 鈥� Elon Law鈥檚 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 鈥� Elon Law鈥檚 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鈥檚 advisor.