Melanie Crenshaw

Melanie Crenshaw serves as the Albert and Gladys Coates Term Assistant Professor of Public Law and Government at the UNC School of Government, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She joined the institution in August 2022, leading training and advisory efforts for magistrates on the legal and practical aspects of civil duties. Her expertise centers on magistrates in civil law, landlord-tenant issues, small claims law and procedure, and summary ejectment. Crenshaw contributes regularly to the School of Government's blogs, such as On the Civil Side and the North Carolina Criminal Law Blog, authoring posts on topics including the magistrate's role in post-towing hearings, anatomy of summary ejectment judgment forms, and congratulations to newly certified magistrates.

Prior to her faculty appointment, Crenshaw served five years as a magistrate in Cumberland County. She previously practiced as a Board-Certified Family Law Specialist in Greensboro, handling civil and family law matters, and taught as an adjunct professor at Elon University School of Law in family law and moot court. Earlier in her career, she taught high school in Fayetteville for several years. Crenshaw earned her J.D. in 2009 from Elon University School of Law, graduating first in her class, serving as symposium editor on the Elon Law Review, and participating on the Elon Moot Court Board. During law school, she clerked for the North Carolina Pattern Jury Instruction Criminal Subcommittee and interned in the Clerk’s Office of the North Carolina Supreme Court. She holds a bachelor’s degree summa cum laude from Elon College as a North Carolina Teaching Fellow. A member of the North Carolina State Bar, her extensive practical experience enhances her role in guiding magistrates through complex daily legal challenges in civil proceedings.

Professional Email: mcrenshaw@sog.unc.edu