Elisabeth Baldwin earned her law degree with high honors from the University of North Carolina School of Law where she was symposium editor of the North Carolina Law Review and a member of Order of the Coif. She holds a master's degree in education from the University of Texas at Austin and a bachelor's degree summa cum laude in history and childhood education from Canisius College.

Before law school, Elisabeth spent more than a decade in North Carolina and Texas schools as a classroom teacher, assistant director of development, testing coordinator and instructional specialist.