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�

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.

Recipients of the annual awards are nominated by their colleagues and selected by the College鈥檚 dean and associate deans.

鈥淓ach of these award recipients demonstrate dedication to their students and colleagues,鈥� said Hilton Kelly, dean of Elon College, the College of Arts and Sciences. 鈥淚 am so pleased to recognize each of these faculty and staff members for all of their work and contributions to supporting the mission of the College.鈥�

The 2026 College Excellence Award recipients:

Excellence in Teaching Award

Kristen Mazur

Associate Professor of Mathematics and Statistics

Associate Professor Kristen Mazur builds her classrooms around the idea that students learn best when they are encouraged to take intellectual risks, embrace productive struggles and grow through challenges. She was the leader in the development of Elon鈥檚 Precalculus program and co-creator of the Mathematics and Statistics Learning Assistant Program, helping strengthen pathways into science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields. She received the Trevor Evans Award, established by the Mathematical Association of America, for scholarship of an exceptional mathematics article that is accessible to undergraduates which was published in 鈥淢ath Horizons.鈥� Mazur also has multiple publications with undergraduate co-authors.

Excellence in Scholarship

Yanica Faustin

Assistant Professor of Public Health

Assistant Professor Yanica Faustin鈥檚 work focuses on health equity and understanding and dismantling the systemic and structural barriers that shape health and well-being for marginalized communities. Faustin was Elon鈥檚 first recipient of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health Equity Scholars for Action award, a national grant supporting groundbreaking scholarship that advances health equity. This award helped position Elon on a national stage in public health research. In addition to peer-reviewed publications, invited presentations and public scholarship, she has built a research program committed to developing future scholars. Faustin has also advanced national conversations around maternal and reproductive health, racial inequities in birth outcomes, severe maternal morbidity and the health experiences of Black communities across the diaspora.

Excellence in Service-Leadership Award

Corey Roberts

Assistant Professor of Native American and Indigenous Studies

Assistant Professor Corey Roberts’ service has been defined by a commitment to collaboration and community engagement. Through leadership of the Occaneechi Band of the Saponi Nation (OBSN) Heritage Language and Learning Working Group, Roberts helped secure multiple grants, develop educational initiatives, organize conferences and workshops and deepens the partnership between 福利亚洲国产精品 and the OBSN. These efforts brought together students, faculty, staff, tribal leaders and community members in meaningful and lasting ways. He helped to lead the creation and installation of a historic marker at The Oaks that includes Yesa:sah铆 language and a land acknowledgment, along with coordinating signage on OBSN tribal grounds. The dedication brought more than 120 members of the Elon and tribal communities together. Roberts also helped organize the Undergraduate Conference on Languages and Cultures, coordinated Polyglot Lunches, co-advises the Native American Student Association and delivered guest lectures that embody language, culture, community and belonging.

Excellence in Mentoring Award

Lauren Guilmette

Associate Professor of Philosophy

Associate Professor Lauren Guilmette has created numerous opportunities for students to connect their academic work with the wider world. From mentoring independent research projects, Honors students, Summer Undergraduate Research Experience scholars and graduate school applicants, to creating programs that connect students with faculty mentors, community partners and scholars across the country, Guilmette bands the horizons of what mentoring can be. As an advisor to the Gender & Sexuality Living Learning Community, Guilmette has cultivated spaces where students find community, leadership opportunities and a sense of belonging. Through partnerships with local organizations, grassroots initiatives, and community leaders, students have been encouraged to see themselves not simply as learners, but as engaged citizens capable of making a difference in the world. She also has a gift for connecting people, students with mentors, students with communities, students with one another and students with a deeper sense of purpose.

Staff Excellence Award

Beth DeFord

Program Assistant for Psychology, Human Service Studies and Public Health

Program Assistant Beth DeFord has spent more than two decades tracking down the right answer, identifying a potential problem before it arises, navigating a complicated process, helping a colleague meet a deadline and working behind the scenes to ensure things run smoothly. Known for approaching tasks with professionalism, precision, kindness and a desire to help others succeed, faculty trust her expertise, students benefit from her support and colleagues rely on her wisdom and institutional knowledge. DeFord supports three academic departments, Psychology, Human Service Studies and Public Health, to provide assistance to faculty, supervise student employees, support hundreds of students and manages a building. One nominator described DeFord as a superhero who manages an enormous workload, yet somehow makes it all look effortless.

As they helped parents prepare legal documents designed to ensure their children would continue receiving care and education if the unexpected happened, students found themselves doing something equally important: listening to families navigating uncertainty and providing greater peace of mind.

Organized by Elon Law’s Pro Bono Board in partnership with 鈥� an agency that advocates for and serves immigrants in the Triad 鈥� the May 2025 clinic responded to concerns from families who wanted to prepare for the possibility of sudden family separation. Under the supervision of licensed attorneys 鈥� including an Elon Law alumna and a faculty member 鈥� students assisted parents in completing powers of attorney that would allow trusted caregivers to make educational and medical decisions for their children if needed.

“It was something concrete we could actually do,” recalled Molly Hohler L’26, who helped organize the clinic through the Pro Bono Board.

Families spoke candidly about their fears as they contemplated possible detention or deportation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Working alongside fellow board leaders Frank Edwards L’25, Adnan Omer L’25, Saniya Pangare L’25 and Cameron Riordan L’25, Hohler organized the clinic with FaithAction International, Professor of Law Andy Haile and attorney Abigail Seymour L’17. Together, they identified a way to use their legal training to meet a community need and serve real clients.

More than a year later, that student-led effort earned statewide recognition. during the association’s Annual Meeting this summer, recognizing an “outstanding law student group whose pro bono project advanced access to justice in North Carolina.

鈥淵ou have that script of what you want to say, and then all of that goes out the window because you recognize the emotions your client is experiencing. It taught us that you have to approach clients with empathy, not just legal answers.”
鈥� Adnan Omer L’25

The idea grew from conversations with FaithAction International, which identified an urgent community need and contacted the Pro Bono Board. Immigration legal advice was beyond the scope of what students could provide, but powers of attorney offered a meaningful way to serve clients under attorney supervision.

For Adnan Omer L’25 and others, the clinic quickly became much more than a legal exercise.

“People come to you on one of the hardest days of their lives,鈥� said Omer, now an associate attorney with Vrapi Weeks Immigration Attorneys in Albuquerque, New Mexico. 鈥淵ou have that script of what you want to say, and then all of that goes out the window because you recognize the emotions your client is experiencing. It taught us that you have to approach clients with empathy, not just legal answers.”

Seymour L’17, who founded Greensboro-based Camino Law in 2019, was the supervising attorney for the clinic. As a former Pro Bono Board member herself, she understood the value of the experience for students. Throughout the day, she observed, interpreted and worked alongside them during client meetings in the one-day clinic.

“The main purpose of this clinic was to give people a sense of control and preparation,” Seymour said. “Peace of mind to know that if the worst were to happen, they would have a plan.” Elon Law students 鈥渨ere wonderful and jumped right in. They didn’t hang back.鈥�

“The most important lesson is learning to work with clients who are facing significant challenges that we as lawyers may never experience ourselves. In class, we can debate and discuss these abstract issues of law and policy, but when you see how they affect real people, that makes it a different lesson.”
鈥� Professor of Law Andy Haile

In recommending the clinic for the statewide award, Seymour praised the students’ “extraordinary professionalism, leadership and compassion,” writing to the NCBA that they approached the work “not as an academic exercise, but as a professional responsibility.” The project exemplified “the highest ideals of pro bono service in North Carolina,鈥� she wrote.

Haile, who also supervised students during the clinic, said the experience demonstrated why experiential learning is critical for legal preparation. Some skills can鈥檛 be learned in a classroom.

“The most important lesson is learning to work with clients who are facing significant challenges that we as lawyers may never experience ourselves,” Haile said. “In class, we can debate and discuss these abstract issues of law and policy, but when you see how they affect real people, that makes it a different lesson.”

For Pangare, whose family immigrated to the United States, the project carried special meaning.

“It was an opportunity to help people feel more secure in their homes, their surroundings and their communities,” said Pangare 鈥� now an associate attorney at Hall Booth Smith P.C. in Asheville, North Carolina. “We wanted to help a community we knew felt vulnerable and let them know we were there to support them.”

“We have unique skills as soon-to-be lawyers. The more we can use those skills to help people, the better lawyers we become in the process.”
鈥� Molly Hohler L’26

She joined Hohler and Shannon Ward L鈥�26, current Pro Bono Board co-director, in accepting the award on behalf of Elon Law during the NCBA Annual Meeting on June 26.

Hohler said that public service has been a throughline in both her personal and professional life. Serving on the Pro Bono Board gives her an opportunity to channel that instinct alongside classmates who share a commitment to service.

“I love working with clients. It gives me new energy,” Hohler said. “We have unique skills as soon-to-be lawyers. The more we can use those skills to help people, the better lawyers we become in the process.”

Professor of Law Enrique Armijo and Assistant Professor of Journalism Israel Balderas joined the coalition supporting the filing. organized the effort and submitted the reply comments to the FCC.

Although the proceeding involves ABC’s 鈥淭he View,鈥� the filing argues the broader issue is whether the federal government should determine what qualifies as a news interview program and second-guess broadcasters’ editorial decisions 鈥� a form of government interference with the independence of news organizations that the signers of the filing say the First Amendment is intended to prevent.

The proceeding stems from a public notice issued by the FCC’s Media Bureau, the office responsible for broadcast policy and licensing, seeking comment on ABC’s request that 鈥淭he View鈥� retain its status as a bona fide news interview program. Under the federal equal time provision, broadcast stations generally must provide comparable airtime to opposing political candidates when one candidate appears on a program. News interview programs that qualify for the FCC’s longstanding exemption don鈥檛 have to adhere to that requirement.

Balderas 鈥� a professor in the School of Communications whose professional experience includes work as an Emmy Award-winning broadcast journalist, First Amendment attorney and former media adviser at the FCC 鈥� said the coalition’s concerns extend beyond a single television program.

“The Constitution puts that decision off-limits to government. Once any administration, of any party, gets the power to decide what qualifies as news, it will use that power against whoever criticizes it,鈥� Balderas said. 鈥淭he First Amendment doesn’t protect the press because journalists are perfect. It protects the press because a free people need information their government doesn’t control.鈥�

Armijo 鈥� a professor in the School of Law whose scholarship examines the intersection of new technologies, free speech and First Amendment doctrine 鈥� said the filing addresses both the immediate FCC proceeding and broader concerns about government regulation of speech.

“While the TechFreedom comments are about the current proceeding at the FCC as to whether 鈥淭he View鈥� and similar programs should continue to be exempted from the agency’s equal time requirements, they also speak to something larger: the current administration’s continuing attempts to use its regulatory authority as a pretext to punish points of view with which it disagrees,” Armijo said.

The reply comments become part of the public record the FCC will consider as it reviews ABC’s petition.

At Elon Law, Armijo teaches constitutional law, the First Amendment, media and internet law, torts and international freedom of expression.

In the School of Communications, Balderas teaches courses in media law and ethics, TV reporting and leads programs that bridge political communication with civic engagement.

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.

His chapter appears in “The Elgar Companion to Freedom of Speech and Expression,” edited by Ashutosh Bhagwat and Alan K. Chen and published by Edward Elgar Publishing.

Armijo’s chapter, “Online Must-Carry in Comparative Perspective,” draws on an international freedom of expression course he taught in The Hague through 福利亚洲国产精品 School of Law’s global study partnership with Stetson University College of Law. In it, he examines how different countries balance the rights of online platforms to moderate content with growing recognition of those platforms as primary forums for public discourse.

Using recent efforts by Texas and Florida to limit social media companies’ ability to remove content or users, Armijo explores how those laws align with or diverge from international human rights laws protecting the right to receive information. He also compares other countries鈥� efforts to balance the expressive rights of platforms and their users

The volume examines contemporary debates surrounding free speech, including online expression, higher education, the press and related rights. The editors solicited contributions from leading free speech scholars in the United States and around the world, including Armijo.

At Elon Law, Armijo’s scholarship and teaching cover broad areas of the law, including the First Amendment, constitutional law, torts, administrative law, media and internet law, online disinformation, and international freedom of expression. He is also a Fellow at the Yale Law School Information Society Project and the UNC-Chapel Hill Center for Information, Technology and Public Life, and a Faculty Fellow with the George Washington University Institute for Data, Democracy, and Politics.

The discussion took place during 鈥淚mmigration Matters: A Conversation on Policy and Law,鈥� held June 11 at the in downtown Greensboro. The event was moderated by Omar H. Ali, professor of history and former dean of the Lloyd International Honors College at UNC Greensboro. Reynolds joined fellow panelists Heather Scavone, former associate counsel with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services; Abdul Omer, immigration staff attorney at the Center for New North Carolinians; and Kathy Hinshaw, chair of the Latino Community Coalition of Guilford.

Reynolds focused her remarks on recent federal guidance affecting the naturalization process, particularly the “good moral character” requirement for immigrants seeking U.S. citizenship. She explained that while the requirement has long been part of the naturalization process, new guidance encourages immigration officers to take a more 鈥渉olistic鈥� approach when evaluating applicants.

“It’s already a murky situation to explain to students and try to educate people on what is 鈥榞ood moral character鈥� because of this lack of a finite definition,” Reynolds said.

Historically, factors such as criminal history, community involvement, family responsibilities, employment history and tax compliance have been subject to assessment. She questioned how federal officials would interpret new guidance and potentially increase scrutiny across a broader range of factors, such as minor traffic violations.

Reynolds directs Elon Law’s Humanitarian Immigration Law Clinic, which provides legal services to refugees and asylum seekers in North Carolina. The clinic聽assists clients in applying for political asylum, permanent residency, citizenship, and employment authorization, as well as reunifying families separated by war and conflict, while giving Elon Law students hands-on experience representing clients under attorney supervision.

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 students and faculty gathered for 鈥淛udicial Interpretation and Review Under the United States Constitution,鈥� hosted by We the People 鈥� Elon Law鈥檚 Constitutional Journal.

The program featured retired North Carolina Supreme Court Chief Justice Cheri Beasley, Elon Law鈥檚 Sandra Day O鈥機onnor 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 鈥渓iving Constitution.鈥�

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

鈥淚f interpretation relies on will, then the Constitution can mean anything at any time,鈥� 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鈥檛 have considered her, a Black woman, as deserving of rights 鈥� 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 鈥渞easons for the reasons鈥� behind judicial decisions.

Panelists also addressed the pressures shaping today鈥檚 judiciary.

Berger described a 鈥渃heerleading鈥� 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.

鈥淵ou can often predict how individual (U.S. Supreme Court) justices are going to vote,鈥� 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.

鈥淚s there some level of humanity in decision-making? I believe there is 鈥� and I don鈥檛 know that that鈥檚 a bad thing.鈥�