Justice Philip Berger Jr., whose legal career includes experience as a prosecutor and top state jurist, will address graduates in a Dec.12 ceremony on the main campus of Elon University.
A member of North Carolina’s highest court who has served at every level of the state’s judiciary will share insights from a distinguished career in law and public service when he delivers the Commencement address to the Elon University School of Law Class of 2025.
North Carolina Supreme Court Justice Philip Berger Jr. will join 136 graduates and their families for a ceremony that begins at 10 a.m. on Friday, December 12, in Alumni Gym in Koury Athletic Center on Elon University’s main campus.
Berger has served on the Supreme Court of North Carolina since 2021. His career in public service spans more than two decades, including roles as Rockingham County district attorney, North Carolina administrative law judge and a judge on the North Carolina Court of Appeals. Berger is also an adjunct professor at Elon Law, teaching courses in administrative law and evidence.
“We are honored that Justice Berger will join us to share wisdom shaped by years of service in the courtroom and on the bench,” said Elon Law Dean Zak Kramer. “He exemplifies Elon Law’s values of integrity, professionalism and service. Few could better remind our graduates — especially as they prepare for the bar exam — of the purpose and responsibility that come with joining the legal profession.”
Berger was born in Danville, Virginia, and grew up in Eden, North Carolina. He graduated from UNC Wilmington with a bachelor’s degree in history and earned his law degree from Wake Forest University School of Law. He began his career in private practice before co-founding his family’s firm, The Berger Law Firm, in 2001.
In 2006, he was elected district attorney for North Carolina’s 17A Prosecutorial District, where he led Project SAFE Rockingham County, a collaboration with local and federal law enforcement agencies to reduce violent crime among recidivists and gang members. During his tenure, he also served as president of the North Carolina Conference of District Attorneys and represented the National District Attorneys Association as a nongovernmental observer at the United States v. Khalid Sheikh Mohammad, et al hearings in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
Berger was appointed as an administrative law judge in 2015 with the North Carolina Office of Administrative Hearings and was later elected to the North Carolina Court of Appeals in 2016. Four years later, voters elected him to the Supreme Court of North Carolina.
In addition to his judicial service, Berger is deeply involved in youth athletics and mentorship. He has coached football and baseball at the high school and youth levels and founded Eden Youth Football, where he also served as chair. He and his wife, Jodie Church, a public school teacher, live in the Triangle area and are the parents of two sons, Philip III and Will.
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 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.
Elon Law has graduated more than 1,700 alumni since opening its doors 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 a Top 10 placement and an A+ rating each year since 2023. Elon Law was also among schools highlighted by Bloomberg Law in 2023 for its innovative approach to student development.
The Elon Law Flex Program, a part-time, in-person program of legal study in Charlotte, launched in 2024. Designed for students balancing work, family and other commitments to earn their J.D. in under four years, it enrolled its second cohort in fall 2025.