Elon University School of Law
Encyclopedia
The Elon University School of Law is an American law school
located in Greensboro, North Carolina
, occupying the former downtown public library building. The school spent $10 million renovating the 84000 sq ft (7,803.9 m²). facility. The School of Law is one of four graduate programs offered by Elon University
. Established in 2006, the School features concentrations in Business
, Litigation, Public interest
, and General practice. On September 19, 2006, former Supreme Court of the United States
Associate Justice Sandra Day O'Connor
delivered the Dedication Address for the School of Law. In the fall of 2006, 115 students were enrolled to form the law school's inaugural class and in 2007 a second class of 107 students were enrolled. In the fall of 2008, another 107 students were enrolled, placing the law school at full capacity. The school's largest incoming class enrolled in 2010 with 132 members. The class of 2013 have a median LSAT score of 155 and undergraduate GPA of 3.12. This class makes for the third consecutive increase in median LSAT score since 2008.
Leary Davis, one of North Carolina's most experienced and respected legal educators, is the founding dean emeritus and a professor of law. David Gergen
, a presidential advisor to Richard Nixon
, Gerald Ford
, Ronald Reagan
and Bill Clinton
, serves as the Chair of the Advisory Board. George R. Johnson Jr., a distinguished lawyer with more than 30 years of experience in government service and education, was named the second dean of Elon University School of Law on February 5, 2009.
The school collaborates with the neighboring American Judicature Society
Institute of Forensic Science & Public Policy, researching issues at the intersection of law and science. In addition, Elon Law offers a preceptor
program for 1L's
and provides leadership education during the winter-term semester.
The graduating class of 2009 achieved an 83% bar passage rate and as of February 15, 2010 nearly 90% were employed.
According to Career Services at Elon Law, the Class of 2009 had a job placement rate of 89.7%. This job placement rate is based on criteria established by the National Association of Law Placement (NALP) http://www.nalp.org/.
granted full approval to Elon Law School.
. Judge Ben Tennille presides over cases heard in Greensboro, and the court also has judges and holds hearings in Raleigh, North Carolina
and Charlotte, North Carolina
.
The Center will house the law school's Wills Clinic and its Juvenile Justice Intervention and Mediation Clinic. The Wills Clinic provides wills drafting services to low-income clients referred by Habitat for Humanity of Greater Greensboro. The Juvenile Justice Clinic offers victim-offender mediation in juvenile cases referred by Guilford County Schools and other regional government institutions.
Law school
A law school is an institution specializing in legal education.- Law degrees :- Canada :...
located in Greensboro, North Carolina
Greensboro, North Carolina
Greensboro is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is the third-largest city by population in North Carolina and the largest city in Guilford County and the surrounding Piedmont Triad metropolitan region. According to the 2010 U.S...
, occupying the former downtown public library building. The school spent $10 million renovating the 84000 sq ft (7,803.9 m²). facility. The School of Law is one of four graduate programs offered by Elon University
Elon University
Elon University is a private liberal arts university in Elon, North Carolina, United States. Formerly known as Elon College, it became Elon University on June 1, 2001. The campus is a botanical garden and features oak trees, brick sidewalks, fountains, and lakes...
. Established in 2006, the School features concentrations in Business
Business
A business is an organization engaged in the trade of goods, services, or both to consumers. Businesses are predominant in capitalist economies, where most of them are privately owned and administered to earn profit to increase the wealth of their owners. Businesses may also be not-for-profit...
, Litigation, Public interest
Public interest
The public interest refers to the "common well-being" or "general welfare." The public interest is central to policy debates, politics, democracy and the nature of government itself...
, and General practice. On September 19, 2006, former Supreme Court of the United States
Supreme Court of the United States
The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest court in the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all state and federal courts, and original jurisdiction over a small range of cases...
Associate Justice Sandra Day O'Connor
Sandra Day O'Connor
Sandra Day O'Connor is an American jurist who was the first female member of the Supreme Court of the United States. She served as an Associate Justice from 1981 until her retirement from the Court in 2006. O'Connor was appointed by President Ronald Reagan in 1981...
delivered the Dedication Address for the School of Law. In the fall of 2006, 115 students were enrolled to form the law school's inaugural class and in 2007 a second class of 107 students were enrolled. In the fall of 2008, another 107 students were enrolled, placing the law school at full capacity. The school's largest incoming class enrolled in 2010 with 132 members. The class of 2013 have a median LSAT score of 155 and undergraduate GPA of 3.12. This class makes for the third consecutive increase in median LSAT score since 2008.
Leary Davis, one of North Carolina's most experienced and respected legal educators, is the founding dean emeritus and a professor of law. David Gergen
David Gergen
David Richmond Gergen is an American political consultant and former presidential advisor who served during the administrations of Nixon, Ford, Reagan, and Clinton. He is currently Director of the Center for Public Leadership and a professor of public service at Harvard Kennedy School. Gergen is...
, a presidential advisor to Richard Nixon
Richard Nixon
Richard Milhous Nixon was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. The only president to resign the office, Nixon had previously served as a US representative and senator from California and as the 36th Vice President of the United States from 1953 to 1961 under...
, Gerald Ford
Gerald Ford
Gerald Rudolph "Jerry" Ford, Jr. was the 38th President of the United States, serving from 1974 to 1977, and the 40th Vice President of the United States serving from 1973 to 1974...
, Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
and Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
, serves as the Chair of the Advisory Board. George R. Johnson Jr., a distinguished lawyer with more than 30 years of experience in government service and education, was named the second dean of Elon University School of Law on February 5, 2009.
The school collaborates with the neighboring American Judicature Society
American Judicature Society
The American Judicature Society is an independent, nonpartisan, national organization of judges, lawyers, and interested members of the public whose mission is to improve the American justice system - to "secure and promote an independent and qualified judiciary and fair system of justice." ...
Institute of Forensic Science & Public Policy, researching issues at the intersection of law and science. In addition, Elon Law offers a preceptor
Preceptor
A preceptor is a teacher responsible to uphold a certain law or tradition, a precept.-Christian military orders:A preceptor was historically in charge of a preceptory, the headquarters of certain orders of monastic Knights, such as the Knights Hospitaller and Knights Templar, within a given...
program for 1L's
Law school in the United States
In the United States, a law school is an institution where students obtain a professional education in law after first obtaining an undergraduate degree.Law schools in the U.S...
and provides leadership education during the winter-term semester.
The graduating class of 2009 achieved an 83% bar passage rate and as of February 15, 2010 nearly 90% were employed.
Post-graduation employment
According to LawSchoolTransparency.comhttp://www.lawschooltransparency.com, the Class of 2009 had a reported employment rate of 81.3% at 9 months post-graduation. The remaining 18.7% of the Class of 2009 were either pursuing a graduate degree (3.7%), did not report an employment status (9.3%), or were unemployed (5.6%). Of the 81.3% reporting an employment status, 82.7% were employed in the private sector.According to Career Services at Elon Law, the Class of 2009 had a job placement rate of 89.7%. This job placement rate is based on criteria established by the National Association of Law Placement (NALP) http://www.nalp.org/.
Average Student Loan Debt
The average Class of 2009 graduate had $103,059 of student loan debt.Full ABA Accreditation
On June 10, 2011 the American Bar AssociationAmerican Bar Association
The American Bar Association , founded August 21, 1878, is a voluntary bar association of lawyers and law students, which is not specific to any jurisdiction in the United States. The ABA's most important stated activities are the setting of academic standards for law schools, and the formulation...
granted full approval to Elon Law School.
Notable Advisory Board and Faculty Members
- Rhoda Bryan Billings - Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of North Carolina (1986)
- Leary Davis - Founding Dean Emeritus and Professor of Law, Former Dean of Campbell Law School (1975–1986)
- Catherine Ross Dunham - Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, Professor of Law, Director of Trial Practice Program
- James G. ExumJames G. ExumJames G. 'Jim' Exum, Jr. is an American jurist who served as an Associate Justice and Chief Justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court.After earning his law degree at the New York University School of Law, Exum clerked for North Carolina Supreme Court Justice Emery B. Denny...
- Distinguished Jurist in Residence at Elon Law; Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of North Carolina (1986–1995) - Eric M. Fink - Jennings Professor of Law and Emerging Scholar
- Steven Friedland - Professor of Law; director of the Center for Engaged Learning in the Law (CELL)
- Henry FryeHenry FryeHenry E. Frye is an American judge and politician who concluded his public-service career as the first African-American chief justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court.He was born August 1, 1932 in Richmond County, North Carolina...
- Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of North Carolina (1999–2001) - Henry Gabriel - Professor of Law, Elected Member of UNIDROITUNIDROITThe International Institute for the Unification of Private Law, also known as UNIDROIT, is an independent intergovernmental Organisation based in Rome, Italy...
- David GergenDavid GergenDavid Richmond Gergen is an American political consultant and former presidential advisor who served during the administrations of Nixon, Ford, Reagan, and Clinton. He is currently Director of the Center for Public Leadership and a professor of public service at Harvard Kennedy School. Gergen is...
- Chair of the Advisory Board; Former Adviser to Four U.S. presidents - Andy Haile - Assistant Professor of Law (BusinessCommercial lawCommercial law is the body of law that governs business and commercial transactions...
& Tax LawTax lawTax law is the codified system of laws that describes government levies on economic transactions, commonly called taxes.-Major issues:Primary taxation issues facing the governments world over include;* taxes on income and wealth...
) - James E. Holshouser - Former Governor of North Carolina (1973–1977)
- James B. HuntJames B. HuntJames Bennett Hunt was a politician and judge from the U.S. state of Michigan.Hunt was born in Demerara, British Guiana . He moved with his father to New York City in 1803. There he later pursued an academic course, studied law, was admitted to the bar in 1824, and commenced practice in New York...
- Governor of North Carolina (1977–1985, 1993–2001) - George R. Johnson - Dean (2009-), Professor of Law; former president of LeMoyne-Owen CollegeLeMoyne-Owen College-External links:*...
(1996–2002); Assistant General CounselWhite House CounselThe White House Counsel is a staff appointee of the President of the United States.-Role:The Counsel's role is to advise the President on all legal issues concerning the President and the White House...
for U.S. President Jimmy Carter'sJimmy CarterJames Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. is an American politician who served as the 39th President of the United States and was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, the only U.S. President to have received the Prize after leaving office...
administration - Howard Katz - Professor of Law (Public Policy & Legal Education)
- David S. Levine - Assistant Professor of Law; Center for Internet and Society at Stanford Law SchoolStanford Law SchoolStanford Law School is a graduate school at Stanford University located in the area known as the Silicon Valley, near Palo Alto, California in the United States. The Law School was established in 1893 when former President Benjamin Harrison joined the faculty as the first professor of law...
(CIS); founder & host of Hearsay Culture (Intellectual PropertyIntellectual propertyIntellectual property is a term referring to a number of distinct types of creations of the mind for which a set of exclusive rights are recognized—and the corresponding fields of law...
) - Bonnie McElveen-HunterBonnie McElveen-HunterBonnie McElveen-Hunter is an American businesswoman who is the first female Chairman of the Board of Governors of the American Red Cross. She is currently serving her second three-year term, the first of which began in June, 2004, when she was appointed to the post by U.S. President George W....
- Chair of the American Red CrossAmerican Red CrossThe American Red Cross , also known as the American National Red Cross, is a volunteer-led, humanitarian organization that provides emergency assistance, disaster relief and education inside the United States. It is the designated U.S...
(2004–Present); CEO of Pace Communications; U.S. Ambassador to FinlandFinlandFinland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
(2001–2003) - Alan Woodlief - Associate Dean for Administration, Associate Professor of Law and Director of the Moot Court Program
North Carolina Business Court
The Elon University School of Law is one of only a handful of law schools in the nation to house a working court—the North Carolina Business Court. The court hears cases involving complex commercial and corporate law disputes in the law school's Robert E. Long Courtroom. The courtroom includes three large flat screen monitors to display motions, briefs and other documents, wireless technology and videoconferencing capabilities. All Business Court cases are assigned by the Chief Justice of the North Carolina Supreme CourtNorth Carolina Supreme Court
The Supreme Court of North Carolina is the state's highest appellate court. Until the creation of the North Carolina Court of Appeals in the 1960s, it was the state's only appellate court. The Supreme Court consists of six associate justices and one chief justice, although the number of justices...
. Judge Ben Tennille presides over cases heard in Greensboro, and the court also has judges and holds hearings in Raleigh, North Carolina
Raleigh, North Carolina
Raleigh is the capital and the second largest city in the state of North Carolina as well as the seat of Wake County. Raleigh is known as the "City of Oaks" for its many oak trees. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city's 2010 population was 403,892, over an area of , making Raleigh...
and Charlotte, North Carolina
Charlotte, North Carolina
Charlotte is the largest city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the seat of Mecklenburg County. In 2010, Charlotte's population according to the US Census Bureau was 731,424, making it the 17th largest city in the United States based on population. The Charlotte metropolitan area had a 2009...
.
Clinical Law Center
In fall 2009, The Elon University School of Law opened a Clinical Law Center to support legal services provided by law school students. The center will provide a facility for students, under the supervision of law faculty and attorneys, to work with clients referred by nonprofit organizations and government agencies in the greater-Greensboro region.The Center will house the law school's Wills Clinic and its Juvenile Justice Intervention and Mediation Clinic. The Wills Clinic provides wills drafting services to low-income clients referred by Habitat for Humanity of Greater Greensboro. The Juvenile Justice Clinic offers victim-offender mediation in juvenile cases referred by Guilford County Schools and other regional government institutions.