Elon Law’s Advocacy Fellows program is designed to provide students with the essential knowledge and practical, hands-on experience and skills necessary to become exceptional trial and/or appellate advocates on behalf of their clients.

In addition to the many experiential learning opportunities provided to Advocacy Fellows and detailed below, the Fellows program also provides:

• a summer externship in a judicial, governmental or law firm setting, such as a position clerking for a trial or appellate judge, an Attorney General, United States Attorney, District Attorney, Public Defender, a firm involved in civil or criminal litigation;
• a stipend covering the tuition cost and a portion of the living expenses for the summer externship;
• an Advocacy Fellows Scholarship toward tuition during the academic year, renewable for 2.5 years assuming continued participation in the Advocacy Fellows Program.

Integrated across Elon Law’s 2.5 year curriculum, the Advocacy Fellows program equips future attorneys with the knowledge and skills necessary to become lawyers who will be able to analyze their client’s legal issues and advocate effectively on their behalf through written and oral arguments to trial and appellate courts.

How to Apply

To be considered for the Fellows program, both the application for admission to Elon Law and a Advocacy Fellows application must be submitted. The deadline for first round of Fellows has passed, an invitation to apply for the second round will be sent mid-May.

Finalists for the Advocacy Fellows program will be invited to interview with advocacy faculty.

Visit the Tuition and Financial Planning page for information about other scholarship opportunities and financial aid programs at Elon Law.

Highlights of Elon Law’s Advocacy Fellows Program

Each Advocacy Fellow will take a core curriculum of advocacy courses, such as Evidence, Trial Practice & Procedure, Negotiations, and Appellate Litigation. In addition, Advocacy Fellows will have learning experiences outside the classroom, including:

• A summer externship in a judicial, governmental or law firm setting, such as a position clerking for a trial or appellate judge, an Attorney General, United States Attorney, District Attorney, Public Defender, a firm involved in civil or criminal litigation;
• Opportunities to meet with esteemed judges and leading trial and appellate litigators through an annual speaker series;
• Visits to state and federal trial courts in the area, as well as an annual trip to view arguments at the North Carolina Court of Appeals and/or Supreme Court and meet Judges and Justices from these Courts;
• Opportunities to engage with the practicing bar through participation in activities such as Inn of Court, Greensboro Bar Association and North Carolina Bar Association meetings and continuing legal education (CLE) programs related to advocacy;
• Opportunities to compete in the school’s Intramural Moot Court Competition and Mock Trial Program Tryouts, as well as assist with these competitions and the Billings, Exum & Frye National Moot Court Competition;
• Opportunities to represent clients in trial and appellate litigation through the school’s Guardian ad Litem Appellate Advocacy Clinic and Elder Law Clinic;
• Opportunities to mentor future advocates by volunteering to work with local college and high school mock trial and moot court programs;
• Close working relationships with Elon Law’s nationally regarded advocacy faculty, including Catherine Ross Dunham, The Hon. James G. Exum, Jr., and Alan Woodlief.