U.S. Attorney Russ Ferguson, who leads federal prosecutions and civil litigation across 32 western North Carolina counties, will address 146 Elon Law graduates during a Dec. 11 ceremony in Alumni Gym on Elon University’s campus.
A federal prosecutor and accomplished trial attorney whose career spans public service and private practice will share insights from his legal career when he delivers the Commencement address to the Elon University School of Law Class of 2026.
Russ Ferguson, U.S. attorney for the Western District of North Carolina, will address 146 graduates and their families during a ceremony beginning at 10 a.m. Friday, Dec. 11, in Alumni Gym in Koury Athletic Center on Elon University’s main campus.
Ferguson has led the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of North Carolina since March 2025 and was confirmed by the U.S. Senate as the presidentially appointed U.S. attorney in December 2025. As the district’s chief federal law enforcement officer, he oversees an office of nearly 100 prosecutors and support personnel responsible for federal criminal prosecutions and civil litigation across 32 counties. Before his appointment, Ferguson served as a federal prosecutor in the District of Columbia and as a partner at Womble Bond Dickinson, where he oversaw complex international litigation.
“We are honored to welcome Russ Ferguson as our Commencement speaker,” said Elon Law Dean Zak Kramer. “As U.S. attorney for the Western District of North Carolina, he holds tremendous responsibility in our justice system. His distinguished career in private practice and public service reflects the sound judgment, integrity and commitment to service we emphasize at Elon Law. His remarks will offer valuable perspective to our graduates as they enter the legal profession.”
A graduate of Duke University, Ferguson earned his law degree and Master of Laws from Georgetown University Law Center. Following law school, he clerked for U.S. District Judge Frank D. Whitney in the Western District of North Carolina, where he now serves as U.S. attorney.
Ferguson began his legal career as a federal prosecutor in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, where he tried 28 cases to verdict.
Before returning to public service in North Carolina, Ferguson was a partner at the international law firm Womble Bond Dickinson, where he led the firm’s complex litigation group. His work included representing clients in high-profile civil and criminal trials, as well as international arbitration proceedings before tribunals around the world.
Ferguson has published numerous articles on civil and criminal law and served as a speaker and panelist at local and national events. His professional honors include recognition by Super Lawyers, Best Lawyers in America and North Carolina Business Elite. The Mecklenburg County Bar also recognized him with its Best Individual Attorney award for pro bono service.
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, providing exceptional value by lowering tuition and permitting graduates early entry into their careers.
Elon Law has graduated more than 2,000 alumni since its establishment in downtown Greensboro in 2006. Its annual enrollment now tops 600 students, and the law school is regularly featured in the top tier of preLaw Magazine’s “Best Schools for Practical Training” rankings.
Elon Law offers full-time legal education in Greensboro and a part-time, in-person Flex Program in Charlotte. In 2026, the American Bar Association approved Elon Law to expand its signature 2.5-year J.D. program to Charlotte.
Beginning in Fall 2027, students in Charlotte’s full-time and Flex programs will attend classes on the Queens University of Charlotte campus in the Myers Park neighborhood. Elon Law will continue to offer its full-time 2.5-year J.D. program at its downtown Greensboro campus.