Practice Management

You know, it is probably not fair, but I still remember Appalachia from the Bobby Kennedy film clips of 1968 of the unrivaled abject poverty of a people.  None were more shocking than from this area.  But, if you will look online, or if you have ever been there recently, you cannot deny that the Appalachia region of our country is so naturally beautiful.

It is from this backdrop that you might want to consider Appalachian School of Law.  It is one of the law schools of Virginia, near or on the boarder of Kentucky and West Virginia.

It is not that all successful law school do not bring economic development to the area they serve, but few law schools are started for the main purpose of bringing economic development.  But, that is ALS. Buchanan County brought ASL to Grundy in order to revitalize a town that had been in a steady economic decline since the town's Flood of 1977, and ASL did have a positive economic impact on this region.  It spurring construction of rental homes and the opening of additional businesses in the area.  The school has brought in $12 million per year to the local economy.  ASL has become a success story for the concept of higher education as an economic development tool that it spurred the conception and implementation of the University of Appalachia College of Pharmacy, which opened its doors in 2005.  I personally think this is remarkable because it demonstrates the dedication the community has for this institution.

In 1993 Norton, Virginia lawyer, Joe Wolfe, came up with the idea to create a law school in Central Appalachia, which was well received by local business leaders and a steering committee was founded in 1994 and grew to eighty members. The committee surveyed lawyers and found that legal education needed to emphasize professional responsibility and alternative dispute resolution as these pillars of law school were becoming more important in today's law practice. The committee gained permission of the Virginia General Assembly to start a law school in 1995 and continued to secure endorsements from local civic associations and industrial development authorities.  Buchanan County, Virginia approached the committee in 1996 and offered the grounds and buildings of the former Grundy Elementary and Intermediate Schools to which the steering committee accepted.  The County also provided a $1 million loan, which was later converted into a grant, to financed the building's renovations.   The State Council of Higher Education in Virginia granted the school the ability to enroll students studying for the Juris Doctor Degree in 1997. The charter class of 71 students first attended classes on August 12, 1997.

The Law School had an very unfortunate incident occur on January 16, 2002 when a former law school student, 43-year-old Peter Odighizuwa, who had flunked out of law school, opened fire in the school with a handgun killing three people and wounding three others.  This was unfortunate, but it seems to be an isolated incident of one mentally ill person.

ASL was provided provisional accreditation by the ABA in February 2001 and was fully accredited on June 12, 2006.  This means of course that graduates of ASL can take the bar exams or otherwise practice in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

The law school probably represents an interesting value to those dedicated students having some difficulty getting accepted to an ABA approved law school.  There is every indication that its law school provides a quality education.  And, although applications keep going up and, as a result, acceptance rates keep going down, the law school last reported 1302 applications, of which it granted 527 admission, of which 149 actually entered.  ASL also offers a Pre-Admission Summer Opportunity program for students who have the potential to become good lawyers and law students, but whose LSAT's and GPA's do not necessarily reflect their skills and talents.

The bar passage rates continue to climb for the ASL graduates.  The graduates take the bar exams of a number of states.

The law school is a private school, but the current yearly tuition, books and fees, which includes the costs of a laptop, at $28,100.00 is lower than most private law school, and this part of the country offers cheaper than average housing and amenities.

It does not hurt to visit the law school and see what you think.  If you want to go to law school, then I suggest you give it a look.