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 — an agency that advocates for and serves immigrants in the Triad — 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 — including an Elon Law alumna and a faculty member — 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.

“You 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.”
— 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,” said Omer, now an associate attorney with Vrapi Weeks Immigration Attorneys in Albuquerque, New Mexico. “You 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 “were wonderful and jumped right in. They didn’t hang back.”

“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.”
— 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,” 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’t 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 — 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.”
— Molly Hohler L’26

She joined Hohler and Shannon Ward L’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 “The View,” 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 — 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 “The View” 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’t have to adhere to that requirement.

Balderas — 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 — 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,” Balderas said. “The 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.”

Armijo — a professor in the School of Law whose scholarship examines the intersection of new technologies, free speech and First Amendment doctrine — 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 “The View” 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’s article “A Civil Rights Defense of Gentrification,” 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’s 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 �þ��� 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 �þ���. 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’s 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 �þ��� 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’ 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 �þ��� 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 “Immigration Matters: A Conversation on Policy and Law,” 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 “holistic” approach when evaluating applicants.

“It’s already a murky situation to explain to students and try to educate people on what is ‘good moral character’ 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 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 �þ��� 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 “a law school with a difference,” 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.

“Everything that distinguishes Elon Law today traces back to Luke’s vision and the decisions he made to reimagine legal education,” said Dean Zak Kramer. “Our students learn the law by living it, and that distinctive model continues to shape every graduate who walks across our stage.”

Faculty, staff, university leaders and friends gathered May 12 in the Elon Law Library to celebrate Bierman’s 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.

“Without question, Luke was the right person to lead Elon Law when he arrived in 2014,” said Vice Dean Alan Woodlief, who has served as an associate or vice dean since the law school’s inception, on May 12. “Luke is truly an innovator, and his innovations at Elon Law have been central to the school’s success and prosperity over the past 12 years.”

When Bierman arrived, legal education faced a crisis of cost, time and relevance. Applications were plummeting nationwide, and critics — including then-President Barack Obama — 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’s 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 — a fact he’s most proud of — 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’s leadership.

“Luke Bierman’s contributions to �þ��� extend far beyond his tenure as dean of the School of Law,” said �þ��� President Connie Ledoux Book. “He 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.”

“�þ��� has been fortunate to have the right dean at the right time in the evolution of its young law school,” said Leo M. Lambert, �þ���’s president emeritus and professor of education. “Dean Bierman brought a tremendous spirit of innovation and experimentation to Elon Law, building on Elon’s national reputation for experiential learning. It was a perfect DNA match.”

“Luke is first and foremost a teacher, and a lawyer second,” said Steven D. House, who served as Elon’s provost from 2009 through 2019. “His focus has been and always will be transformation. The program he built transforms students’ lives while strengthening and serving the broader legal and civic community.”

An Educator First

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

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

“Education is important to us because we know how important it is to America,” Bierman said May 12. “Thomas 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’s the rule of law. That’s what we’re here at this law school and across the country thinking about and are terribly worried about at this moment in our national history.”

He is a third-generation lawyer but didn’t 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.

“The attraction was to do something different where I could learn something,” Bierman said recently. “Coming to Elon to think about curriculum and curricular programs and activities was natural for me.”

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

“I think of myself as an educator, maybe even more than I think of myself as a lawyer,” 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’s transformation.

“I 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.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Panelists also addressed the pressures shaping today’s judiciary.

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

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

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

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

Promoted to Professor: Associate Dean of Academic Affairs and Associate Professor of Law Patricia Perkins

Promoted to Associate Professor: Assistant Professors Rosa Newman and Srikanth Reddy

Perkins currently serves as associate director of academic affairs, overseeing the academic programs, curricula, student enrollment and registration at the School of Law. Additionally, she teaches courses in constitutional law, civil procedure and others that address the rights of incarcerated people, civil rights litigation and the law of section 1983.

Newman joined the Elon Law faculty in 2022, and teaches courses in property, wills and trusts, and real estate transactions.

Reddy teaches courses in the Legal Method & Communication Program, judicial writing, and the First Amendment. He joined Elon Law faculty in 2021.

“Please join me in congratulating our colleagues on these meaningful professional milestones,” �þ��� President Connie Ledoux book said in her message to the university community announcing the promotions.

Much of Dudley’s efforts are made on behalf of clients seeking crisis assistance at Family Justice Centers in Guilford County and Alamance County.

During a ceremony Feb. 11, North Carolina Attorney General Jeff Jackson praised Dudley’s leadership of a program that serves “a tremendous number of people in very bad situations, often violent situations.”

“Their lives are made better because Margaret and her team intervene in a way that is empathic and effective,” Jackson said. “They have helped thousands of people in their worst moments.”

Through the Guilford County and Alamance County Family Justice Centers, Dudley oversees legal services that bring attorneys, advocates and community partners together under one roof to support survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault and other crises. By providing immediate legal guidance, safety planning and coordinated support, the centers help stabilize families, protect victims and create pathways toward long-term safety and independence.

“I am very grateful that this important work is being recognized by our Attorney General,” Dudley said.

At Elon Law, Dudley is regarded as someone whose service to community is the model of what law students and future attorneys should aspire to.

“Margaret’s leadership embodies what it means to be a lawyer in service to others,” said Dean Zak Kramer. “She brings together legal skill, empathy and a deep commitment to justice, ensuring that survivors receive compassionate, high-quality legal support when they need it most. We are extraordinarily proud of the difference she makes every day.”

Dudley’s career and influence have been widely recognized. She was recently , was a recipient of the Distinguished Service Award from the Greensboro Bar Association, and . Colleagues and community partners alike regard her as a tireless advocate whose work has improved — and in many cases saved — thousands of lives.

Dudley excelled in school and eventually attended Howard University for both her �þ��� and law degrees. She would become the third Black woman to practice law in Guilford County and the first Black woman to hold the position of Deputy County Attorney in Guilford County.

Dudley later achieved success as a partner at a private firm in Guilford County before setting out as a solo practitioner in 1994. A longtime educator and mentor to young people, she taught Constitutional Law at N.C. A&T State University for more than two decades before joining the Emergency Legal Services Program as its founding director.

At Elon Law, she prepares students to practice law with skill and empathy.

Jsaela Barrow L’26, Jennifer Carbajal L’26, Tarrah Casey L’26, Adriana Hernandez Ordonez L’25, and Elyanna Smith L’26 will meet biweekly with Laké Laosebikan Buggs, �þ���’s director of inclusive excellence for graduate and professional education, while participating in Student Bar Association meetings and acting as liaisons for their classmates. Student fellows elevate student perspectives, support inclusive programming and dialogue, and contribute to ongoing efforts to strengthen belonging, equity, and engagement across the law school community.

“Our Inclusive Excellence Fellows play a vital role in helping Elon Law live our values every day,” Laosebikan-Buggs said. “Through their leadership, scholarship, and service, they strengthen our community and help ensure that students feel seen, supported, and empowered to succeed.”

These student fellows join Associate Professor of Law Chrystal Clodomir, who is continuing for a second year as the dean’s faculty fellow for inclusive excellence, in advancing inclusive �þ��� practices, in advancing inclusive �þ��� practices and supporting neurodivergent students.

During the 2024–25 academic year, Clodomir led a comprehensive study examining neurodivergent law students’ academic experiences through listening sessions, student surveys, and extensive legal research. The project engaged students, faculty, and student organizations in conversations about classroom practices, accessibility, and belonging, and led to the development of faculty resources.

In 2026, Clodomir will build on this foundation by developing accessible resources for students and educators, expanding her scholarship, and strengthening institutional practices that promote inclusive �þ��� and learning.

Carbajal will assist Clodomir in the research process this year.

“Professor Clodomir’s selection for a second year as Faculty Inclusive Excellence Fellow reflects both the impact of her work and the promise of what she continues to build at Elon Law,” said Laosebikan-Buggs. “Through her leadership in advancing inclusive excellence, neurodiversity, and student support, she has strengthened our academic community. Her work transforms moments that can feel vulnerable for students into pathways for empowerment, academic success, and professional confidence, and continues to move our community toward a truly inclusive culture.”

The 2025-2026 Elon Law Inclusive Excellence Fellows

Jsaela Barrow L’26

Hometown: Morehead City, North Carolina
Alma Mater and Major: Master of Public Health, Eastern Virginia Medical School; B.S. in Biology, Campbell University
Intended Practice Area: Health Law and Policy
Involvement and Leadership Roles: Elon Law Advocacy Fellow, Black Law �þ��� Association, and Society for Health Law & Bioethics

“As a Black woman entering a profession in which we represent only 4% of attorneys nationwide, I am deeply grateful to attend a law school that values not only my academic ability, but also my perspective. Being in this space, I know the importance of advocating not just for myself, but for others as well. As an Elon Law inclusive excellence fellow, I am committed to strengthening every law student’s sense of belonging, while actively advancing equity, diversity, and inclusion within our law school community. Through leadership and advocacy, I strive to lead with purpose and help cultivate an environment where every student feels seen, heard, and genuinely supported.”

Jennifer Carbajal L’26

Hometown: Salisbury, North Carolina
Alma Mater and Major: B.A. in Political Science, Catawba College
Intended Practice Area: Immigration and Civil Rights Law
Involvement and Leadership Roles: Vice President of Hispanic and Latinx Law �þ��� Association; 2L representative in Honor Council; Professionalism and Social Chair of Immigration Law Society; Co-Chair of Community and Development for Student Mentors; Member of First Gen. Society

“I came into law school knowing that I wanted to advocate for others, and knew immediately that I wanted to be a part of the inclusive excellence fellows. I want to use my voice and my position to advocate for individuals who have concerns that may sometimes be overlooked. I hope that throughout my time in my position, I can leave behind a safe place for students to feel comfortable to advocate for themselves and have difficult conversations that need to be addressed in such tumultuous times.”

Tarrah Casey L’26

Hometown: Greenville, South Carolina
Alma Mater and Major: B.A. Philosophy, Coastal Carolina University
Intended Practice Area: Disability Law, Criminal Law, Special Education Law
Involvement: Honor Council Election Council Committee Co-Chair; student mentor; Elon Reaches Out committee member; Parents Attending Law School; Andrew G. Bennett Student Wellness Innovation Grant Recipient; Phi Alpha Delta;
Criminal Law Teaching Assistant

“My goal is to become the kind of lawyer who doesn’t just navigate the law, but helps transform it — creating pathways, expanding access, and making sure every person has the chance to be seen, heard, and valued. Law gives me the tools to transform lived experiences into policy solutions, to challenge structures that perpetuate inequity, and to ensure that dignity and opportunity are not privileges but rights. I’m pursuing this profession because I believe lawyers have a responsibility to stand in the gap: to speak when others cannot, to navigate complexity on behalf of those who shouldn’t have to, and to push institutions toward justice, compassion, and accountability.”

Adriana Hernandez Ordonez L’25

Hometown: Snow Hill, North Carolina
Alma Mater and Major: B.A. in Criminology & B.A. in Sociology, Eastern Connecticut State University
Intended Practice Area: Business Law & Real Estate
Involvement and Leadership Roles: President of Hispanic & Latinx Law Student Association; Academic Fellow; Elon Law Mentor; Moot Court Board

“As a first-generation Hispanic student, pursuing a legal education is both deeply personal and purpose-driven. Entering law school meant learning to navigate an unfamiliar environment while carrying the expectations and sacrifices of my family with me. At Elon Law, I found a community that affirmed my identity and encouraged me to lead with authenticity. As an inclusive excellence fellow, I hope to support students who may feel uncertain or marginalized by reminding them that their experiences are valuable and their voices matter. I am committed to advocating for equity within the legal profession and uplifting those whose perspectives are too often overlooked or misunderstood.”

Elyanna Smith L’26

Hometown: Charlotte, North Carolina
Alma Mater and Major: B.A. in Political Science, University of North Carolina, at Charlotte
Intended Practice Area: Civil and Criminal Litigation
Involvement and Leadership Roles: Professionalism Chair of the Hispanic/Latinx Law Student Association; member of the Criminal Law Society; Participant in Lawyers for Literacy program through the Pro Bono Board

“As an inclusive excellence fellow, I hope to make Elon Law a safe space for all. I have seen how access, representation, and inclusion can shape someone’s sense of belonging, and how the absence of those things can limit opportunities. I chose this role because I want to be part of the ongoing effort to ensure that the legal field evolves into one that welcomes and values everyone.”

About the Dean’s Faculty Fellow for Inclusive Excellence

Chrystal Clodomir is an associate professor of law at Elon Law’s Greensboro campus. Since 2021-22, she has taught courses in Legal Method & Communication, Education Law, Family Law and Secured Transactions. Prior to joining Elon, Clodomir graduated from Rutgers University and Cornell Law School and practiced law for over 15 years in a variety of practice areas including family law, education law and criminal prosecution.

A graduate of Rutgers University and Cornell University School of Law, Clodomir practiced criminal law in New York and education law in Delaware prior to moving to North Carolina in 2018 and originally joining the legal staff of the Children’s Law Center of Central North Carolina.

“I’m honored to continue this work as the dean’s faculty fellow for inclusive excellence,” Clodomir said. “Over the past year, listening to students and learning from their experiences has reinforced how important it is to build learning environments that recognize and support different ways of thinking and learning. This next phase of my work will focus on creating accessible resources, strengthening inclusive �þ��� practices, and helping ensure that every student has the tools and confidence to succeed in law school and in the legal profession.”