“Freedom and Responsibility: What We Owe Each Other,” held Oct. 29 at the Carolina Theatre at Belk Place, brought together John Hood, president of the John William Pope Foundation, and Melissa Murray, the Frederick I. and Grace Stokes Professor of Law at New York University School of Law.

Carol Quillen, former president of Davidson College and former CEO of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, moderated the conversation.

“This is not a debate. It’s a conversation,” Quillen told the audience at the outset. “Our hope is that as John Hood and Melissa Murray share their ideas, their knowledge, and their points of view, each of us will find insights that can enrich our own understanding and also provide tools that we can use to be more effective at engaging others with whom we might disagree.”

Public Square is a civic conversation series produced by to encourage thoughtful engagement across ideological differences and strengthen civic life. The library foundation is producing the series with programming partners including the , �����Ի� �鶹��Ƶ Law. The Durham and Morton families are supporting partners.

Hood emphasized individual liberty, limited government and the responsibility of citizens and civic organizations to address community needs. Murray explored the Constitution’s evolving protections and how historical injustices and structural barriers influence opportunities for meaningful participation in American society.

Hood described the Constitution as a framework designed to accommodate disagreement among people with different beliefs, political views and priorities.

“We can disagree about religion. We can disagree about faith of any kind. We can disagree about political issues. We can disagree about how we want to live, what we want to eat, what team we’re going to root for, whatever it is,” Hood said.

The nation’s founders anticipated those disagreements, he explained, and established a constitutional system intended to prevent them from escalating into threats to individual liberty or violence.

The challenge, Hood said, is to view people who hold opposing beliefs “not as bigots, not as villains and not as liars” — but as individuals with inherent worth and people whose perspectives may have merit, Hood said.

Murray approached the Constitution from a different perspective, emphasizing how the nation’s founding principles evolved through struggles over citizenship, equality and individual rights.

She pointed to the Civil War and Reconstruction-era amendments as transformative moments in American constitutional history, arguing that understanding the nation’s founding requires acknowledging both its ideals and its failures.

“If we aren’t attentive to it, and we don’t try to reckon with it, and see what the residue of it means for us today, we could still make the same mistakes over and over and over again,” Murray said.

She also emphasized the importance of constitutional literacy and the responsibility to consider perspectives that challenge one’s own beliefs. Drawing on her experience in law and teaching law students, she described the value of examining opposing arguments rather than dismissing them.

In law, “we also literally have to do justice to another side, to make the argument as sharp as possible, because that’s the only way to make your argument better,” she said.

Four �鶹��Ƶ Law students served as content navigators, helping explain constitutional principles, collect audience questions and facilitate discussion.

Stellarose Emery L’27 and Ashley Holmes L’26 represented �鶹��Ƶ Law’s Greensboro program, while Mandy Mead LF’29 and Jeremy Yagoda LF’29 represented the Charlotte Flex Program.

Audience questions addressed respectful disagreement, civic education, constitutional interpretation and the responsibilities of citizens in maintaining democratic institutions.

Two additional Public Square conversations are scheduled for spring and fall 2027, exploring “The Art of Compromise” and “Truth and Trust,” respectively.

The annual poetry slams, organized by �鶹��Ƶ School of Law’s Legal Method and Communication Program, brought students together on Oct. 20 in celebration of the National Day on Writing, an annual observance established by the National Council of Teachers of English.

Through original poems that ranged from deeply personal reflections to witty observations about law school and life, students revealed parts of themselves that classmates and professors might not always see in the classroom.

In Greensboro, students competed in the Eighth Annual High Rhymes and Misdemeanors Poetry Slam. Charlotte students in the Flex Program held their third annual Poetry Slam, continuing a tradition that encourages creative expression and builds community among future lawyers.

Greensboro: ‘High Rhymes and Misdemeanors’

Marlaisha Vereen L’27 earned first place and the People’s Choice Award for her poem, “We Once Shared the Same Sky,” an emotional reflection inspired by a summer internship in criminal law in her hometown of Gainesville, Florida.

During the internship, Vereen encountered familiar faces from her childhood, prompting her to reflect on how differently life had unfolded for people who once shared similar dreams.

“Reconnecting with familiar faces after being away for so long caused me to reflect on how differently life unfolds for people who once shared the same dreams,” Vereen said. “As future attorneys, we must never become so consumed with learning the law that we forget the humanity behind it.”

“My hope is that my vulnerability reminds others of the importance of compassion and never forgetting where we come from.”

The Greensboro competition featured a panel of judges that included James Daniels, Greensboro’s poet laureate and an assistant professor in North Carolina A&T State University’s Department of English; Krista Contino-Saumby, director of career services at �鶹��Ƶ Law; and Sue Liemer, professor of law. Trey McClenny served as emcee.

Daniels also performed an original poem, “Pushout: Ode to the Black of the City,” for the audience.

Flex Program flexes lyrical prowess

In Charlotte, Nadia Mazza LF’28 held first place for the third year with her poem, “1 & Done.” It is her third win

Nadia Mazza LF’28 captured first place in Charlotte with “1 & Done,” a lighthearted celebration of �鶹��Ƶ Law’s recent bar examination success and the culture of achievement fostered by Dean Zak Kramer and the school’s “One and Done” slogan.

The poem drew inspiration from the Class of 2025’s record performance on spring bar examinations in North Carolina and 11 other jurisdictions, when 90.9% of �鶹��Ƶ Law’s first-time test-takers passed. Kramer had promised to get a tattoo if the class reached an 85% passage rate.

“I thought Dean Kramer’s promise to get a tattoo was a compelling — and fun — way to show the power of shared motivation and commitment to a goal,” Mazza said. “I love how traditions bring a community together and give us meaningful ways to celebrate milestones like this!”

The Charlotte judging panel included Louis A. Trosch Jr., a retired Superior Court judge in North Carolina’s 26th Judicial District and an attorney at Conrad, Trosch & Kenny; Karen Neff, director of �鶹��Ƶ Charlotte; and Gabrielle Kelly, senior assistant city attorney in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department’s Police Attorney’s Office. Adjunct Professor Bob Minarcin served as emcee.

Greensboro ‘High Rhymes and Misdemeanors’ Poetry Slam winners

First place and People’s Choice Award: Marlaisha Vereen L’27 — “We Once Shared the Same Sky”

Second place: Elaijah Lapay L’28 — “Call”

Third place: Rachel Dale Walker L’28 — “American Will”

Charlotte Poetry Slam winners

First place: Nadia Mazza LF’28 — “1 & Done”

Second place: Somer Dice LF’29 — “The Holdout”

Third place: Auston Johnson LF’30 — “Icarus”

People’s Choice Award: Hanny Echeverria Navarro LF’30 — “You Don’t Own Me”

a recurring feature in which senior reporter Bob Buckley profiles the lives and impact of North Carolinians. FOX8 WGHP, based in High Point, North Carolina, covers news across the Piedmont Triad and state.

“The students here today have seen a level of success that the founders of this law school dreamed of,” Kramer says in the piece, discussing a shift in mindset among students, faculty and staff at the law school.

The segment highlighted Kramer’s promise to get a tattoo if the Class of 2025 achieved an 85% first-time bar passage rate. The class exceeded that goal with a record 90.9% passage rate on spring bar exams in North Carolina and 11 other jurisdictions.

Kramer held up his end of the deal over Labor Day weekend.

Buckley connected �鶹��Ƶ Law’s success to the university’s broader culture of ambitious goals, citing former �鶹��Ƶ football coach Curt Cignetti’s success in raising the Phoenix’s profile before leading Indiana to a national championship earlier this year.

“Reach for something unreasonable. We can grab it if we do it together,” Kramer said.

The law school is a programming partner for , a new civic conversation series produced by the . The inaugural event, “Freedom and Responsibility: What We Owe Each Other,” will take place Thursday, Oct. 29, at the Carolina Theatre at Belk Place in Charlotte.

Event details

“Freedom and Responsibility: What We Owe Each Other”

A moderated conversation featuring Carol Quillen, John Hood and Melissa Murray

Thursday, Oct. 29, 2026, at 7 p.m.

Carolina Theatre at Belk Place, 230 N Tryon, Charlotte, NC 28202

General admission is $35. Student admissions is $15.

“At �鶹��Ƶ Law, we prepare students to listen carefully, think critically and consider opposing views. Public Square brings people together to ask tough questions, debate ideas and learn from each other in pursuit of a stronger democracy,” said Dean Zak Kramer. “That makes this a natural partnership. As the law school grows in Charlotte, we’re excited to contribute even more to the civic life of this community.”

�鶹��Ƶ Law’s participation in Public Square comes as the university expands its presence in Charlotte through a merger with Queens University of Charlotte. The law school launched its part-time Flex Program there in 2024, and will welcome its first full-time Charlotte J.D. class in fall 2027. Beginning next fall, both programs will operate on the historic Myers Park campus.

A conversation about freedom and responsibility

The inaugural Public Square conversation will explore the relationship between individual liberty, shared responsibility and the obligations Americans have to one another.

Carol Quillen, former president of Davidson College and former CEO of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, will moderate a discussion between John Hood, president of the John William Pope Foundation, and Melissa Murray, the Frederick I. and Grace Stokes Professor of Law at New York University.

Hood will explore individual liberty and personal responsibility, while Murray will address collective investment and the conditions necessary for meaningful freedom.

Quillen recently discussed the series and the importance of respectful disagreement in , Charlotte’s public radio station and a partner of the event.

The series seeks to encourage conversations across differences, model respectful civic discourse and create opportunities for Charlotte residents to consider questions that shape their communities and the nation.

“I am so grateful to our donors and partners for joining CMLF on this journey to gather our diverse community for conversations that matter to our personal lives and collective well-being,” said Charlotte Mecklenburg Library Foundation Executive Director Jenni Gaisbauer. “This series aligns with the Library’s commitment to protecting the First Amendment’s guarantee of free and open access to information and ideas – a principle vital to our democracy and to each individual’s search for knowledge.”

�鶹��Ƶ Law students contribute to the conversation

�鶹��Ƶ Law students will play a distinctive role in bringing that civic engagement to life.

Four students from the law school’s Greensboro and Charlotte programs will serve as content navigators, contributing legal and constitutional context to the discussion, engaging with audience questions and making complex issues more accessible to participants.

The students are:

• Stellarose Emery L’27, Greensboro full-time J.D. program
• Ashley Holmes L’26, Greensboro full-time J.D. program
• Mandy Mead LF’29, Charlotte Flex Program
• Jeremy Yagoda LF’29, Charlotte Flex Program

“So much of how we talk about politics now happens on a screen, in short bursts, with people who already agree with us. That isn’t how self-government is supposed to work,” said Yagoda, whose full-time job is as board and grant specialist at the Foundation For The Carolinas — also a partner of Public Square. “Charlotte is growing and changing quickly, and a city like ours needs places where neighbors can sit in the same room, disagree, and still take each other seriously. The whole experiment only works if people keep arguing in good faith, and that doesn’t happen by accident. You have to practice it.”

For Holmes, the importance of participating in conversations across differences is also personal.

“Growing up, my family did not participate much in politics; however, my parents instilled in me the importance of doing my best to do the right thing and the courage to stand up for ideals I believe in,” Holmes said. “I’m excited to participate in this event because ‘doing the right thing’ in a modern democracy requires us to step out of our comfort zones. It means recognizing that our own ideals are tested, sharpened, and ultimately improved when they meet different perspectives.”

Building a community conversation

Public Square events will examine the ideas, disagreements and responsibilities that have shaped American democracy.

 is producing the series with programming partners including the , and �鶹��Ƶ Law. The Durham and Morton families are supporting partners.

The Oct. 29 discussion marks the beginning of a continuing series intended to bring Charlotte residents together around questions of civic life, democratic participation and the nation’s future.

Additional Public Square dialogues planned for 2027 include:

• Spring 2027: The Art of Compromise
• Fall 2027: Truth and Trust

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 �鶹��Ƶ Law history.

The class’s 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 “One and Done” on the dean’s arm, a reference to �鶹��Ƶ Law’s 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 “1 and done” tattoo on September 04, 2026.

Law School Dean Zak Kramer admires the “One and Done” tattoo on his arm Sept. 04, 2026, at Frozen Pine Tattoo in Gibsonville.

Law School Dean Zak Kramer admires the “One and Done” tattoo on his arm Sept. 04, 2026, at Frozen Pine Tattoo in Gibsonville.

�鶹��Ƶ 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 �鶹��Ƶ 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.

�鶹��Ƶ Law’s 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’t letting the Class of 2026 rest on its predecessors’ success. He’s challenged this December’s 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?

“Ow,” Kramer said just afterward, “but I’m happy to do it. Proud of the students.”

“A deal’s a deal.”

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’s a bit more about each of them as �鶹��Ƶ Law prepares to begin the Fall trimester next week.

Robert Craig, Assistant Professor of Law

Robert Craig brings to �鶹��Ƶ 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’s 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 �鶹��Ƶ, Craig will teach Constitutional Law I & II and First Amendment. He was drawn to the law school’s emphasis on innovative and experiential teaching — 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’ perspectives. Each semester offers a chance to learn something new and refine his approach.

“There’s a built-in natural way to get better,” he said.

Craig and his wife, Erin Duncan-O’Neill, 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 �鶹��Ƶ 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.

“Law 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,” Park said. At �鶹��Ƶ 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’s 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 — 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 �鶹��Ƶ Law’s 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 �鶹��Ƶ, 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’s next technological shift.

“We’re not going to get rid of AI,” Ross said. “We need to lean into it and find a way to teach students to use it responsibly.”

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 �鶹��Ƶ Law with deep roots at the law school and years of experience shaping federal immigration policy.

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

She left �鶹��Ƶ 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 �鶹��Ƶ 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 “the ripples that just keep going out” as they serve clients and communities.

Scavone earned a bachelor’s 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.

They were selected from a record pool of more than 230 applicants to the part-time, evening, in-person program hosted at �鶹��Ƶ’s Charlotte Center.

Nearly 120 students are enrolled in the program as it enters its third year. Designed for place-bound students balancing law school with jobs and other commitments, the Flex Program offers a path to a law degree that can be completed in about three years and eight months — meaning this year’s new students could graduate as soon as March 2030 — with the flexibility to adjust their pace and extend studies if needed.

Vice Dean and Professor of Law Alan Woodlief welcomed the class during Convocation ceremonies on Aug. 10 highlighting the academic achievement and professional experience its members bring to �鶹��Ƶ Law.

“You were selected based on your many prior achievements, your demonstrated passion for studying law, and your immense potential for success in law school and in serving others through the legal profession,” Woodlief said. “You should be proud of your admission to the Flex Program and motivated to live up to the high expectations we have for you.”

48 — Total Enrollment of the Entering Class of Fall 2026

154 — Median LSAT

66% Female | 34% Male

31% — Students of Color

29 — Average Age

20+ — Members holding advanced degrees

27% — First-Generation College Students

Nearly 90% of incoming students are the first in their families to attend law school.

Broad professional and educational experience

Entering Flex Program students earned undergraduate degrees from 34 colleges and universities. The institutions most represented in the class include:

• UNC-Chapel Hill with six students;
• UNC Charlotte with four;
• Appalachian State University and the University of South Carolina with three students each, and;
• North Carolina State University and Winthrop University with two students each.

More than 20 undergraduate majors are represented, ranging from art history to zoology. Political science is the most common major, with 12 students, followed by criminal justice with five, psychology with four and business with three.

Two members of the class have served in the military, and several competed as varsity athletes.

The class also brings substantial professional experience to the classroom. Eleven students — 23% of the class — already work in the legal field, including as paralegals and legal assistants. Others have built careers in banking and finance, real estate, nursing, journalism, teaching and sports coaching.

The class also reflects the Flex Program’s strong regional ties. Eighty percent of students are from North Carolina, while five are from South Carolina. Other members of the class come from Utah, Nevada, New York, Pennsylvania and Florida.

“We look forward to witnessing firsthand your accomplishments to come — over the next four years and throughout your careers as �鶹��Ƶ lawyers — as you channel this energy, focus, and commitment to excellence and service in your new chosen profession as pioneering lawyer leaders,” Woodlief said.

Mecklenburg County District Attorney Spencer Merriweather III delivered the Call to Honor, challenging students to consider not only what they hope to accomplish as lawyers, but whom their work will ultimately serve.

“The lawyer, and the law student, who demonstrates fidelity to the field is always in the fight because they are thinking of what someone else needs from them — fighting for someone else’s interest as if it were their own,” Merriweather said during ceremonies held Mon., Aug. 10, at �鶹��Ƶ’s Charlotte Center at 330 W. Tremont Ave. in Charlotte’s South End neighborhood.

Merriweather leads the district attorney’s office for North Carolina’s 26th Prosecutorial District, the state’s largest. His connection to �鶹��Ƶ Law is also personal: his wife, Lila Riley L’10, is a member of the law school’s second graduating class.

Describing law as a vocation rooted in serving others, Merriweather reflected on experiences that shaped his own path, from witnessing lawyers pursue justice following a racially motivated killing in his hometown of Mobile, Alabama, to working with a grieving father as a first-year law student interning in the Mecklenburg County District Attorney’s Office.

“Those who are fulfilled in this practice believe that it is something that we are called to do,” Merriweather said. “If you truly commit to pursuit of this practice, you do so because you believe that you have a charge to keep: to speak up for someone, and to tell someone’s story with full impact.”

Merriweather urged students to:

• Be ambitious, curious, studious and sharp, while never losing sight of the people the law is meant to serve.
• Build a reputation for integrity.  Future clients and colleagues must be able to rely on a lawyer’s word, competence and credibility.
• Find your own sense of purpose in the law. When the work becomes difficult, Merriweather encouraged students to return to a simple question: “What are you here to do?”

The Flex Program allows students to earn a law degree through a part-time, in-person course of study designed for working professionals and place-bound students in the Charlotte region.

Flex Program Student Bar Association President Raygan Angel LF’28, a member of the program’s inaugural cohort, encouraged new students to build a supportive community rather than view classmates as competitors.

“The relationships you grow here will matter just as much as the cases you’re going to have to study,” Angel said. “So introduce yourself, form the study group, share an outline and celebrate each other’s wins instead of measuring yourself against them. The legal profession needs more lawyers who compete with integrity and lead with generosity.”

Vice Dean and Professor of Law Alan Woodlief opened the ceremony by recognizing the commitment required of Flex Program students, many of whom will balance full-time careers and other responsibilities with law school. He told the third cohort that faculty and staff “marvel at” and respect the work they have done to organize their lives around pursuing a legal education.

The ceremony concluded with an �鶹��Ƶ tradition connecting the newest law students to the university’s name and history. “�鶹��Ƶ” is the Hebrew word for oak. The university has long used the growth of an acorn into an oak tree as a symbol of education, transformation and individual potential.

Woodlief presented each student with an acorn as they crossed the front of the room, where Dean and Professor of Law Zak Kramer greeted them and shook their hands. The students will receive oak saplings at Commencement.

Kramer closed the ceremony by reflecting on the significance of the third Flex Program cohort and the community that has grown around the program. He also echoed Merriweather’s message about finding a calling in the law, urging students to lean into the law school experience and promising that �鶹��Ƶ Law would take seriously their ambitions and dreams.

“Your calling is what brought you here, and our charge, as we see it, is to make sure that you can answer that call, whatever that call is,” Kramer said. “The call is up to you. We will follow it, and we will do everything we can to support you and launch you into your career.”

�鶹��Ƶ �鶹��Ƶ Law

�鶹��Ƶ Law is the preeminent school for engaged and experiential learning in law. With a focus on learning by doing, it integrates traditional classroom instruction with a required, full-time Residency-in-Practice field placement for all full-time students during the winter or spring of their second year. The law school’s distinctive curriculum offers a logically sequenced program of professional preparation and is accomplished in 2.5 years, which provides exceptional value by lowering tuition and permitting graduates early entry into their careers.

�鶹��Ƶ Law has graduated more than 2,000 alumni since opening its doors in 2006. Its annual enrollment now tops 500 students and the law school is regularly featured in the top tier of preLaw Magazine’s “Best Schools for Practical Training” rankings. In 2026, �鶹��Ƶ Law received ABA approval to launch a full-time 2.5-year J.D. program on the campus of Queens University of Charlotte beginning in Fall 2027. The �鶹��Ƶ Law Flex Program, a part-time, in-person program of legal study for place-bound students at �鶹��Ƶ’s Charlotte campus, welcomed its third cohort in Fall 2026.

 in Greensboro, North Carolina, where she focuses on family law and immigration. In the profile, Seymour reflects on the challenges and rewards of changing careers later in life and encourages others not to let age stand in the way of pursuing meaningful work.

“The most obvious thing that anybody could ever say, but it had not occurred to me that I could actually be different or just change. It shifted for me,” Seymour told People.

Seymour has remained closely connected to �鶹��Ƶ Law since graduating in 2017. , she regularly mentors students, supports experiential learning opportunities and has partnered with the law school on pro bono initiatives that expand access to legal services while providing students with valuable hands-on experience.

Last year, Seymour supervised students participating in a power of attorney clinic in partnership with FaithAction International, a project that earned the North Carolina Bar Association’s 2026 Law School Pro Bono Project of the Year Award. She wrote the letter of recommendation to the bar association that led to the students’ recognition.

to learn more about Seymour’s inspiring career journey and the lessons she hopes others will take from it.

Applications will be accepted starting Sept. 1, 2026.

The ABA approval clears the way for �鶹��Ƶ Law to expand its nationally recognized model of full-time legal education to North Carolina’s largest city. At that point, �鶹��Ƶ Law will offer three pathways to a law degree in North Carolina: a full-time program in Greensboro, a full-time program in Charlotte and the part-time �鶹��Ƶ Law Flex Program in Charlotte.

“This comes at an incredible moment for �鶹��Ƶ Law,” said �鶹��Ƶ Law Dean Zak Kramer. “Within the last year, we’ve celebrated historic bar passage rates and employment outcomes for our graduates, along with record enrollment and student applications. The ABA’s approval of our Charlotte program builds on that momentum, allowing �鶹��Ƶ Law to bring our signature approach to legal education to one of the nation’s fastest-growing cities.”

The inaugural Charlotte class, consisting of up to 75 students, will begin studies in August 2027 on the campus of Queens University of Charlotte. The charter cohort will graduate in December 2029, following �鶹��Ƶ Law’s existing 2.5-year, seven-trimester academic calendar in Greensboro. The �鶹��Ƶ Law Flex Program will also begin holding its part-time evening classes on the Queens campus in Fall 2027.

The full-time Charlotte program will replicate the innovative curriculum established at �鶹��Ƶ Law’s Greensboro campus. The hallmark of �鶹��Ƶ Law’s experiential, skills-based, community-centered approach to legal education is the Residency-in-Practice Program: a course-connected placement that pairs every student with a practicing attorney or judge during the winter or spring of their second year.

That experience moves students beyond studying the law to begin living it — working alongside attorneys and judges, serving clients and communities, and developing the professional judgment and practical skills expected of new lawyers. Students return to campus with greater confidence, stronger professional connections and a clearer sense of the kind of lawyer they will become.

�鶹��Ƶ Law is in the early stages of hiring a full complement of professors, administrators and student support personnel who will lead the full-time program in Charlotte. The move aligns with the proposed merger of �鶹��Ƶ and Queens University, which remains subject to final approval from SACSCOC and the U.S. Department of Education.

�鶹��Ƶ leaders are working closely with Queens University to ensure law students benefit from a vibrant campus experience and the resources of a thriving university community.

The expansion also builds on �鶹��Ƶ Law’s longstanding relationships throughout Charlotte’s legal community. Already, more than 10 percent of the law school’s alumni live and work in the Charlotte area. Law school leaders plan to strengthen existing partnerships, develop new connections and grow opportunities for students to serve in a region with a need for legal talent, legal services and innovative legal education.

Through clinics, residencies and community partnerships, �鶹��Ƶ Law students regularly work alongside attorneys, judges, nonprofit organizations and public agencies to help address unmet legal needs.

“We’ve been in Charlotte all along through our students, alumni and community partnerships,” Kramer said. “This approval gives us an opportunity to deepen our commitment to Charlotte. We’re excited to invest here, build new partnerships and help shape what comes next.”

Additional information about admissions, faculty hiring and program development will be announced in the coming months.

�鶹��Ƶ �鶹��Ƶ Law

�鶹��Ƶ Law is the preeminent school for engaged and experiential learning in law. With a focus on learning by doing, it integrates traditional classroom instruction with a required residency-in-practice field placement for all full-time students during the winter or spring of their second year. The law school’s distinctive full-time curriculum provides a logically sequenced program of professional preparation and is accomplished in 2.5 years, which offers exceptional value by lowering tuition and permitting graduates early entry into their careers.

�鶹��Ƶ Law has graduated more than 2,000 alumni since opening its doors in downtown Greensboro in 2006. Its annual enrollment now tops 500 students. The law school is regularly featured in PreLaw Magazine’s “Best Schools for Practical Training” rankings, maintaining an A+ rating each year since 2023. �鶹��Ƶ Law was also among schools highlighted by Bloomberg Law in 2023 for its innovative approach to student development.

The �鶹��Ƶ Law Flex Program, a part-time, in-person program of legal study, launched in Charlotte in 2024. Designed for students balancing work, family and other commitments to earn their J.D. in under four years, it will enroll its third cohort in Fall 2026.