Elon University is seeking approval from the American Bar Association to establish a new full-time law program in Charlotte, according to Elon University President Connie Book’s email to students Jan. 13.
According to Book, the university plans for the upcoming program to begin in fall 2027. According to a press release, Elon Law plans to operate both law programs from the Queens University of Charlotte campus.
The curriculum will mirror Elon Law’s current full-time programming in Greensboro.
The upcoming full-time program will not be Elon Law’s first presence in Charlotte. Elon Law’s Flex Program began in fall 2024 as a part-time program. In an interview with Elon News Network, Dean of Elon Law Zak Kramer said the program is named Flex because of its flexible degree.
“It's designed for students who are working professionals or otherwise, place-bound in Charlotte,” Kramer said.
Kramer said it was a good opportunity for a new program in Charlotte, especially since the Elon Law presence in Greensboro has been a success, now in its second cohort.
“The first cohort enrolled 36 students while the second cohort enrolled 47 students,” Kramer said. “I haven't checked the numbers today, but applications to that program for next year are up well over 100%. At one point, it was 127%, so there's a lot of demand down there.”
Kramer also said that, given Elon's growth in Charlotte by the merger with Queen's University, it made sense to launch a full-time program in Charlotte.
“We're also growing in Greensboro, so there's a lot of growth for the law school. Our scale is getting bigger, and we're just trying to meet the markets where they are,” Kramer said.
According to Kramer, developing a law program in Charlotte is important because North Carolina is in desperate need of lawyers.
“There's a lot of counties where there's just not enough lawyers, and we've been doing some work over the last couple of years to try to get our students into those counties.
Kramer said there's a large amount of legal need in Charlotte.
“I want to make sure that we have every opportunity for our students to serve that community while they're with us, in addition to when they graduate,” Kramer said.
A later press release from Elon University states that once the additional program is approved and launched, Elon Law will offer three North Carolina-based options: a full-time, 2.5-year Juris Doctor program in Charlotte; a part-time, four-year Elon Law Flex Program in Charlotte; and a full-time, 2.5-year Juris Doctor program in Greensboro.
Kramer said the flex program was designed to launch in Charlotte because the city was the largest one in the country without a law school.
"It's a market that should have a law school, and there's a lot of demand for lawyers, especially as that city is growing and the business community is growing and the legal community is growing,” Kramer said.
The press release states that Elon Law will maintain a full-time presence in two cities with federal courts, such as the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina in Greensboro and the U.S. District Court for the Western District of North Carolina in Charlotte.
According to the release, the full-time Elon Law program plans to enroll about 75 students per class. Each student will complete a full-time, course-connected residency-in-practice with a practicing attorney or judge during their second year. Kramer said the residency is important because of the skill training students will receive.
“Our students get a lot of opportunities to practice law while they're here, because we genuinely believe that the best way to train lawyers is to make them go be lawyers while they're students,” Kramer said.
According to Kramer, around 70% of Elon Law students stay in North Carolina after graduation.
“We are a net importer,” Kramer said. “And lawyers are amazing. Lawyers are civically active. They volunteer, they show up, they invest. Bringing more lawyers into the state and into the community, into the business community, to the civic community, I think, is really important, because lawyers make a difference.”
Applications for the program will open August 2026.