Frederick Hulse L’25 was recently awarded the North Carolina Bar Student Pro Bono Award for more than 100 hours of service to Triad residents. His generosity extended to classmates, who call him “selfless” and “genuine.”
Talk to folks around Elon Law, and you’ll agree: The world could use more people like Frederick Hulse L’25.
“Fred is the guy who will drop everything if you need help, even if you barely know him,” said Sophia Maratellos L’25.
“What stands out most is how deeply he cares about his friends, this school and this community,” said Justin Kremer L’25.
“He appreciates the impact he can have on people’s lives, and that motivates everything he does,” said Assistant Dean of Academic Success Jenny Lane.
With more than 100 hours of pro bono service — and countless other hours spent quietly supporting classmates — Hulse made generosity and hard work the defining traits of his law school experience.
A native of England whose family lives in Brown Summit, North Carolina, He recently received the North Carolina State Bar Student Pro Bono Award, presented annually to one student at each law school for exemplary service to the public. During his time at Elon Law, Hulse volunteered with the Humanitarian Immigration Law Clinic, People Not Property, the Innocence Project, the Elon Law Pro Bono Board, Teen Court and the YWCA Greensboro. His contributions ranged from helping clients reunite with their families, to transcribing historical slave deeds that reconnect families with lost genealogies, to advocating for justice in cases of wrongful conviction.
“Helping people fulfills me,” Hulse said. “Every day I wake up, I get here early, I do my work and I fill any gaps I can with helping others. At the end of the day, I might be tired, but I know that I did my best and I’ve helped others. That helps me go to sleep at night.”
“Fred has a quiet confidence and a very thoughtful presence. He doesn’t make excuses. He knows what he wants, and he puts in the work to make it happen.”
Jenny Lane, Elon Law assistant dean of academic success
That drive is rooted in discipline and an unshakable work ethic. Outside of his volunteer work, Fred gained practical experience working at the Law Offices of L. Nicole Patino L’15, a Greensboro firm specializing in labor and employment law. Under Patino’s mentorship, he handled day-to-day casework while honing his legal writing and client-service skills.
Lane connected Patino, a close friend from law school, with Hulse after recognizing his steadiness and drive in her Mastering Legal Analysis class.
“Fred has a quiet confidence and a very thoughtful presence,” Lane said. “He doesn’t make excuses. He knows what he wants, and he puts in the work to make it happen.”
That position led to an offer of full-time employment after he graduates this month. Hulse calls Patino “the best supervisor I’ve ever had,” for her work both as an attorney and as a mentor.
Hulse has been a fixture in the law library, in the same wooden study carrel on the second floor.
“It’s like an unspoken rule that that’s Fred’s cubicle,” Maratellos said. “If he’s not in that spot, you worry. He practically lives there.”
“I always had this vision of who I wanted to be. In law school, I’ve learned how to fight to be that person. I’ve achieved that now.”
– Frederick Hulse L’25
And when he’s there, he checks on classmates and makes sure others have what they need to succeed. Maratellos recalled a particularly difficult time when Hulse found her in tears there.
“He just came and sat with me and was like, ‘What can I do to help you?’” she said. “He offered his handwritten outlines, which is so rare in law school, and didn’t want to leave my side. He’s one of the only people who has ever really had my back like that.”
For Hulse, the motivation is simple: He wants to be the kind of lawyer who leaves people better than he found them. And he believes the habits he built at Elon Law have made that possible.
“I always had this vision of who I wanted to be,” Hulse said. “In law school, I’ve learned how to fight to be that person. I’ve achieved that now.”
As Hulse sees it, “falling in love with the work,” showing up every day, is what makes the difference.
“You’ve got to put the time in. Things look overwhelming,” he said, referencing classes, exams, life commitments, “but if you take it one step at a time, you can do it.”