PreLaw Magazine again lists Elon University School of Law among the country’s best with an A+ for its curriculum in an annual ranking that celebrates the way legal programs help students learn by doing.
An influential national magazine that offers information and resources for aspiring law school students has again named Elon University School of Law among the best American law schools for practical training.
Elon Law climbed to #4 in PreLaw Magazine’s 2024 “Best Schools for Practical Training” feature, one spot higher than 2023 with a continued A+ grade. Elon Law is the only North Carolina law school to make the Top 20 in this year’s rankings.
“An Elon Law education is grounded in the idea that law students learn best by doing,” said Elon Law Dean Zak Kramer. “Every aspect of our curriculum is built around skills training and hands-on learning, and we’re always looking for opportunities to innovate and grow the experience for our students. We’re grateful for this recognition.”
Elon Law offers students a broad array of opportunities to hone practical training skills throughout their 2.5 years of study. Those include:
- Full-time residencies-in-practice
- Lab and simulation courses
- Four clinics (immigration, small business and entrepreneurship, wills drafting, and guardian ad litem appellate advocacy)
- Moot court and mock trial teams
- Internships, externships, and judicial clerkships
- Bridge-to-practice courses
- Involvement with the Pro Bono Board
Elon Law adopted its 2.5-year, seven-trimester curriculum in 2014, making it the only American law school to intentionally design a program where all students graduate in December and can sit for the February bar exam months ahead of peers from other institutions.
All students must complete a course-connected residency-in-practice during the winter or spring trimester of their second year. Residents work full-time for 10 weeks with a practicing attorney or judge to cultivate skills, values, and judgment to help them excel as attorneys and deepen their understanding of various practice areas.
And by completing their legal studies nearly six months faster than traditional programs, Elon Law graduates have lowered their average student debt at graduation by nearly a third since the curriculum was adopted.
For more information on Elon Law and the application process, visit the law school’s admissions page. Elon Law continues to actively admit the Elon Law Class of 2026, which is scheduled to enroll in August 2024.
Elon Law also is in the middle of recruiting its first class to the Elon Law Flex Program, an in-person, part-time program of legal study for place-bound working professionals in Charlotte, North Carolina.