The Elon Law Flex Program in Charlotte enrolled its second cohort of 47 students during New Student Convocation on Tuesday, Aug. 12, at Elon University’s Charlotte center. The Flex Program is a part-time, in-person, evening program for place-bound students in the Charlotte area.
A little Shakespeare, a dash of the Federalist Papers and some tales from courtrooms around the world, U.S. District Judge Frank Whitney wove them all together for Elon Law’s newest Flex Program students to make a serious point.
“The legal profession is the guardian against tearing down a democratic system,” Whitney, senior U.S. District judge for the Western District of North Carolina told the students. “If we’re not there to protect the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, who will be?”
Whitney urged 47 incoming Elon Law Flex Program students to embrace the legal profession’s responsibility as a safeguard for truth, justice and the rule of law during his Call to Honor address at New Student Convocation on Tuesday, Aug. 12.
A Charlotte native whose legal career spans decades as an intelligence officer and member of the Army Reserve, lawyer, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, and since 2006 a U.S. District judge for the Western District of North Carolina, Whitney also deployed to the Middle East and presided over the last court martial in Afghanistan during the U.S. drawdown.
In his address, Whitney recounted some history around the role lawyers play in an ordered society, hearkening back to Shakespeare’s “Henry VI” and the Federalist Papers. Trust in government requires trust in the judicial system, he said, and high-quality lawyering focused on service engenders that trust and is “essential to preserving liberty.” He also recalled witnessing courts and systems of justice around the world, contrasting them with the American justice system which he called “the best judicial and legal system in the world.”
“You are now among the guardians of democracy. Take that responsibility seriously,” he said.
The ceremony also included remarks by Vice Dean and Professor of Law Alan Woodlief, who directs the Flex Program, Elon Law Dean and Professor of Law Zak Kramer, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Associate Professor of Law Patricia Perkins, and Student Bar Association President Rebecca Bailey L’25. In an Elon tradition, each student received an acorn during Convocation. “Elon” is Hebrew for “oak.” At Commencement, they will receive an oak sapling, symbolic of their growth.
Woodlief welcomed students and praised them for balancing work, family and law school.
“Your presence here tonight is impressive. You were selected for this program because of your achievements and potential — not just at Elon Law, but in the legal profession,” Woodlief said. “You inspire us to do our best and to help you achieve your dreams.”
The Flex Program’s second cohort represents growth following a successful first year at Elon University’s Charlotte center and connecting with the Mecklenburg County legal community. The Flex Program is a part-time, in-person, evening program designed to make a legal education possible for those in the Charlotte area with full-time jobs, family obligations, or other commitments. Students earn their law degree in just under four years, taking classes three to four nights per week.
Bailey reminded students that the community they build will be as important as the education they receive.
“Show kindness to each other. Celebrate your peers’ accomplishments and be a listening ear on the hard days,” Bailey said. “These are your peers now, but soon they will be your colleagues.”
Closing the ceremony, Dean Zak Kramer charged students to keep service at the center of their careers.
“Always remember you are doing this for others,” Kramer said. “Lean into this community. Our futures are now intertwined, and we are delighted to be part of your journey.”
The Flex Program’s second cohort spent the remainder of the week in orientation programming and beginning the foundational Introduction to the Study of Law course. Additional courses will begin later this fall.
About Elon Law
Elon 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.
Elon Law has graduated more than 1,700 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. The Elon Law Flex Program, a part-time, in-person program of legal study for place-bound students at Elon University’s Charlotte campus, welcomes its second cohort in Fall 2025.