Three influential media figures who started their careers in the practice of law will visit downtown Greensboro as part of Elon Law’s 2022-2023 Distinguished Leadership Lecture Series presented by The Joseph M. Bryan Foundation.
Dan Abrams of ABC News (November 2, 2022), Sunny Hostin of The View (January 19, 2023), and Shannon Bream of FOX News (April 12, 2023) will explore the way Americans shape their perceptions of justice through both established and emerging sources of news and entertainment.
Elon University School of Law’s first community events since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic will be held in the Carolina Theatre at no cost to guests. Let Elon Law know you plan to attend by visiting law.elon.edu/leadership or by calling 336.279.9200 during normal business hours.
For large group information, contact Elon Law Events Coordinator Monica Glover at mglover2@elon.edu.
The Distinguished Leadership Lecture Series presented by The Joseph M. Bryan Foundation is an integral part of Elon Law’s commitment to learning, lawyering and leadership.
Endowed through a generous gift from The Joseph M. Bryan Foundation of Greensboro, N.C., the series brings accomplished leaders from a variety of disciplines to Elon University to share their experiences and perspectives with students and faculty.
Featured Events
Dan Abrams
November 2, 2022
6:30 p.m.
Carolina Theatre (310 S. Greene Street, Greensboro)
Dan Abrams is the CEO and Founder of Abrams Media, host of “Dan Abrams Live” on NewsNation and “On Patrol: Live” on Reelz, Chief Legal Affairs Correspondent for ABC News, host of SiriusXM radio’s “The Dan Abrams Show: Where Politics Meets The Law,” and host and executive producer of “Court Cam” and “Taking the Stand” on A&E Network.
He previously co-anchored ABC’s Nightline, hosted “The Abrams Report” and the acclaimed “Verdict with Dan Abrams” on MSNBC, hosted the top-rated series “Live PD” on A&E Network, and served as chief legal correspondent for NBC News. Abrams also served as general manager of MSNBC, where he presided over a period of unprecedented growth, with ratings and profits each increasing well over 50% during his tenure.
The Abrams Media properties now welcome more than 15 million unique visitors per month and include the nationally recognized Mediaite.com, which covers the intersection of media and politics; Law&Crime.com and the now widely watched Law&Crime network, which live streams trials with anchors and in-studio analysis; and TheMarySue.com, covering “geek culture” from a female perspective (among others).
A graduate of Columbia Law School, Abrams has published numerous articles in the New York Times and Wall Street Journal, in addition to The Yale Law and Policy Review, ABCNews.com, and Mediaite.com.
His first book, “Man Down: Proof Beyond A Reasonable Doubt That Women Are Better Cops, Drivers, Gamblers, Spies, World Leaders, Beer Tasters, Hedge Fund Managers, and Just About Everything Else,” was a Washington Post bestseller.
Abrams also joined with David Fisher to author “Lincoln’s Last Trial: The Murder Case That Propelled Him to The Presidency” and “Theodore Roosevelt for the Defense: The Courtroom Battle to Save His Legacy.”
Sunny Hostin
January 19, 2023
6:30 p.m.
Carolina Theatre (310 S. Greene Street, Greensboro)
Sunny Hostin is a three-time Emmy Award-winning legal journalist, former federal prosecutor, New York Times bestselling author, and co-host of The View.
In May 2021, Hostin released her debut novel, “Summer on the Bluffs” (William Morrow), which skyrocketed to #11 on The New York Times Bestseller List. The first book in her “Summer” trilogy is being adapted into a series as the first major project for Sunny Hostin Productions. In the fall of 2020, Hostin released her memoir, “I Am These Truths: A Memoir of Identity, Justice, and Living Between Worlds,” with HarperOne.
Hostin has been featured in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Forbes Woman, Essence, Newsweek, The New York Post, Latina, and Ebony. A sought-after public speaker, she has delivered a TEDxTalk titled “A Possibility Model” and spoken at and moderated panels for the U.C. Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism, Corporate Counsel Women of Color, and the National Bar Association, and served as a witness at the Federal Judiciary’s Congressional Hearing for the Public’s Right of Access to the Courts.
Hostin lives with her husband and two children in New York.
Shannon Bream
April 12, 2023
6:30 p.m.
Carolina Theatre (310 S. Greene Street, Greensboro)
Shannon Bream currently serves as anchor of “FOX News Sunday with Shannon Bream” on the FOX Broadcast Network. She joined FOX News Channel in 2007 as a Washington, D.C- based correspondent covering the Supreme Court of the United States.
In addition to her role as anchor, Bream is chief legal correspondent for FNC and host of “Livin’ the Bream”, a podcast on FOX News Radio where she shares inspirational stories, personal anecdotes and an insider’s perspective on actions and rulings from the high court. She is also a founding author for FOX News Books, the publishing imprint of FOX News Media. Notably, her debut title, “The Women of the Bible Speak: The Wisdom of 16 Women and Their Lessons for Today” was 13th bestselling book in adult nonfiction in 2021, according to Bookscan, and spent 15 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list, five of which at number one.
In March 2022, she published the second book in the franchise, “Mothers and Daughters of the Bible Speak”, which also rose to number one on the New York Times bestseller list, moving 200,000 copies within the first five weeks.
Prior to joining FNC, Bream worked as a weekend anchor for WRC-TV (NBC-4) in Washington, D.C., anchored the evening and late-night news for WBTV (CBS-3) in Charlotte, NC and held writing and reporting positions at WFTS-TV (ABC-28) in Tampa, FL. Before entering the world of media Shannon practiced law, specializing in race discrimination and sexual harassment cases.
She is an honors graduate of the Florida State University College of Law, and she obtained her Bachelor of Science in Business Management magna cum laude from Liberty University. Bream and her husband, Sheldon, enjoy traveling, fly fishing and they describe themselves as “a tad obsessive” about college football. Their home is run by English Labrador Retriever, Biscuit Bream.
About Elon Law
Elon University School of Law in Greensboro, North Carolina, is the preeminent school for engaged and experiential learning in law. With a focus on learning by doing and among the top quartile of American law schools for low levels of student loan debt at graduation, it integrates traditional classroom instruction with course-connected, full-time residencies-in-practice in a logically sequenced program of transformational professional preparation. Elon Law’s groundbreaking approach is accomplished in 2.5 years, which provides distinctive value by lowering tuition and permitting graduates early entry into their legal careers.
