Assistant Professors Tiffany Atkins L'11 and Vanessa Zboreak will add to Elon Law's Legal Method & Communication Program while Assistant Professor Katherene "Kathy" Conner begins direction of the law school’s Residency-in-Practice Program.
Three new educators will join the Elon University School of Law faculty in June as part of an ongoing commitment to further strengthen the law school’s legal writing program and building out resources in support of its Residency-in-Practice Program.
Assistant Professors Tiffany Atkins L’11 and Vanessa Zboreak will add to Elon Law’s Legal Method & Communication Program as Assistant Professor Katherene “Kathy” Conner starts her role as director of residencies.
“With these new appointments of full-time, continuing faculty, Elon Law is rededicating its commitment to LMC as an integral component of our educational program, while enhancing our resources supporting the signature Residency-in-Practice Program,” said Elon Law Dean Luke Bierman. “Our new faculty are very enthusiastic about joining Elon Law and all will be here before the end of June, working hard to prepare for their new roles.”
In addition to the new educators, faculty members recently voted for John Flynn to continue at Elon Law as an associate professor and director of the Small Business and Entrepreneurship Clinic, a reflection of his success in growing the clinic and preparing students for professional careers in business and corporate law.
About the New Professors
Prior to her entry into legal education, Atkins worked for several years in Greensboro at Legal Aid of North Carolina. She is a graduate of UNC Greensboro’s Political Science and African-American Studies programs.
In her words: “I am thrilled to be returning to Elon Law and the Legal Method and Communication program. Continuing my teaching career at the university where my own legal education began is a real honor. I am equally excited to rejoin the community and continue working with our students—some of the brightest, most thoughtful and engaged law students I have ever had the pleasure of teaching. I am honored to be their professor once again—to help mentor and shape them into the next generation of thoughtful and engaged lawyer-leaders.”
An advocate for sustainability, Zboreak’s research explores trends in the administrative notice and comment process, communications between agencies and the public, and the way administrative law impacts food systems. She also holds a faculty appointment in Wake’s graduate programs in sustainability and previously worked as staff attorney at Wake’s Innocence & Justice Clinic. Zboreak earned her law degree from Wake Law and a Bachelor of Arts from Grinnell College.
In her words: "I'm thrilled to be joining the Elon Law faculty and I'm looking forward to being a part of the collaborative and innovative LMC team. As an advocate for the earth, I'm especially eager to continue sharing with students my passion for environmental law, sustainability, and food law and policy through both my teaching and scholarship."
Assistant Professor Kathy Conner most recently was at Penn State's Dickinson Law where she directed the Public Interest Program and served as faculty supervisor for externship placements. In her new role, Conner will build on the successful growth of Elon Law’s distinctive Residency-in-Practice Program.
Prior to helping Dickinson Law students with their externship placements, Conner served as chair of the Pennsylvania State Civil Service Commission, as a civil litigator in private practice, and as an assistant district attorney in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania. She is a graduate of Dickinson School of Law and earned her Bachelor of Science in Law Enforcement & Corrections from Pennsylvania State University.
In her words: “I am very excited to join Elon University School of Law as Director of Residencies and to bring my experience in experiential education to this role. Experiential legal education has grown exponentially and the potential for continued growth is outstanding. The Residency-in-Practice Program at Elon Law provides full time, fully immersed and fully engaged opportunities in a range of positions in the judiciary, government, and the public and private sector. I am honored to have the opportunity to work with esteemed faculty in this signature program and to be a part of the next chapter of legal education.”