Jenny Lane L’15 returns to her law school alma mater as assistant dean for academic success while Kristen Covington now serves as assistant director of career development.
Two new administrators joined the Elon Law community this fall to help prepare students and graduates for success on the bar exam and in pursuing their career goals.
Assistant Dean Jenny Lane L’15 will lead an Office of Academic Success that offers courses and provides resources to succeed in law school, pass the bar examination, and develop habits that will carry over into a professional setting.
Lane’s return to Elon Law – she previously worked for a few years in academic support for her alma mater – fully completes the Office of Academic Success. She joins Marty McAuliffe, who joined the law school community in August as director of academic and bar success, and Patrick Ellington L’13, Elon Law’s academic and bar success specialist.
Assistant Director of Career Development Kristen Covington’s arrival also fully completes the Office of Career and Student Development where she will advise Elon Law students on a range of topics including personal, career, and leadership development.
“We’re lucky to have Jenny and Kristen on the team. Our people are Elon Law’s greatest resource, and Jenny and Kristen are already making a difference for our students,” said Elon Law Dean Zak Kramer. “It’s good to have their offices—the Office of Academic Success and the Office of Career and Student Development—fully staffed and charging forward with and on behalf of our students.”
About the New Staff
Jenny Lane L’15
Jenny Lane’s appointment to serve as assistant dean for academic success brings her back to Elon University School of Law after a year managing the AccessLex Champions Program, a nationwide program of more than 300 student representatives who shared AccessLex Institute resources in their respective law schools.
Lane had served from 2017-2022 in Elon Law’s Office of Academic Success as an academic skills instructor and director of bar success programs where, among other responsibilities, she:
- Taught required 1L, 2L, and 3L courses including Bar Exam Foundations and Introduction to Legal Studies
- Designed and led the Bar Exam Mentorship program which connected bar-takers with an alumni or faculty bar mentor to assist in their bar exam journey
- Created the “Texts for Success” Bar Exam Initiative, which featured daily texts containing study tips, motivational quotes, and more to bar-studiers
Lane graduated cum laude from Saint Vincent College before enrolling at Elon Law. She started her legal career as the Julian T. Pierce Fellowship Attorney for Legal Aid of North Carolina before accepting a full-time position with Legal Aid as a staff attorney in Gastonia.
“I am excited to return to Elon Law and rejoin this hard-working, intelligent, and inspirational community. As the new Assistant Dean of Academic Success, I’m eager to help graduates prepare for and succeed on the bar exam while supporting our current students’ law school journey. My door is always open!
Kristen Covington
Prior to joining the Elon Law community in November, Kristen Covington served as director of recruitment and employer development for North Carolina Central University School of Law. In that position, she designed marketing materials and assisted with event planning and promotion, collected data from events and programming, and maintained records for reporting for the American Bar Association.
She also provided career path coaching and directed the School of Law’s mentor program, matching nearly a hundred students with one of dozens of volunteer mentors.
Covington graduated magna cum laude University of South Carolina after double majoring in criminology and criminal justice/African-American Studies. She worked for a few years in the airline industry before returning to North Carolina Center School of Law and serving as a Lexis Nexis Ambassador and with the Women’s Law Caucus, the Durham County Teen Court, and the law school’s Dime Initiative.
“I’m excited to join the Elon Law community,” Covington said. “I firmly believe that meeting students and building relationships will help me assist them in obtaining their dreams and goals. I look forward to being a resource and providing encouragement and support.”