Appalachian School of Law Law School

Appalachian School of Law, Appalachian School of Law Law School History

Appalachian School of Law was established in 1997 and is a private institution. The 3.2-acre campus is in a small town in downtown Grundy, Virginia. The primary mission of the law school is to train lawyers to be community leaders. Students have access to federal, state, county, city, and local agencies, courts, correctional facilities, law firms, and legal aid organizations in the Grundy area. There is an adequate supply of rental properties off campus for student housing. All law school facilities are accessible to the physically disabled.

Appalachian School of Law, Appalachian School of Law Law School Academics

Students must take 13 credits in their area of concentration. The Appalachian School of Law offers concentrations in ADR/ Lawyers as Problem Solver. All students take a 2-credit seminar in their third year. The seminars have included Cyberlaw, Environmental Law, and First Amendment. Students also participate in a 3-credit internship during the summer after their first year. Judicial Chambers, prosecutors’ and public defenders’ offices, and legal aid organizations are typical placements. An Academics Success Program is open to all first-year students. The most widely taken electives are Remedies, Advanced Torts, and Conflict of Laws.

To earn the J.D., candidates must complete 90 total credits, of which 69 are for required courses. They must maintain a minimum GPA of 2.0 in the required courses. The following first-year courses are required of all students: Civil Procedure I and II, Contracts I and II, Criminal Law, Introduction to Law, Legal Process I and II, Property I and II, and Torts. Required upper-level courses consist of 2 practicum courses, a seminar, Business Associations, Constitutional Law I and II, Criminal Procedure, Dispute Resolution, Estates and Trusts, Evidence, Externship, Family Law, Payment Systems, Professional Responsibility, and Secured Transactions. The required orientation program for first-year students is 1-week, covering skills needed to be a successful law student, core issues of professionalism, and an introduction to Central Appalachia. A substantive component of the Torts course is also included.

In order to graduate, candidates must have a GPA of 2.0 and have completed the upper-division writing requirement.

Appalachian School of Law, Appalachian School of Law Law School Unique Programs

Library

The law library contains 128,552 hard-copy volumes and 104,163 microform volume equivalents, and subscribes to 917 serial publications. Such on-line databases and networks as CALI, CIS Universe, DIALOG, Dow-Jones, Infotrac, Legal-Trac, LEXIS, LOIS, Mathew Bender, NEXIS, OCLC First Search, WESTLAW, CCH, BNA, and Hein On-Line are available to law students for research. Special library collections include Appalachian Collection, Government document depository, and 4th Circuit briefs. Recently, the library made substantial additions to WV, KY, TN, NC materials. The ratio of library volumes to faculty is 6428 to 1 and to students is 378 to 1.

Special Consideration

The law school recruits minority and disadvantaged students by attending events at schools with minority student populations; distributing targeted literature; and through its mentoring program. Requirements are not different for out-of-state students. Transfer students must have a 2.0 GPA at an ABA-approved or state-approved law school. Preadmissions courses consist of a 4-week Pre-Admission Summer Opportunity program.

Appalachian School of Law, Appalachian School of Law Law School Admissions

In the fall 2007 first-year class, 1625 applied, 633 were accepted, and 1 enrolled. Seven transfers enrolled. The median LSAT percentile of the most recent first-year class was 40; the median GPA was 3.08 on a scale of 4.0. The lowest LSAT percentile accepted was 32; the highest was 55.

Applicants must have a bachelor’s degree and take the LSAT. Minimum acceptable GPA is 2.0 on a scale of 4.0. The most important admission factors include GPA, LSAT results, and academic achievement. No specific undergraduate courses are required. Candidates are not interviewed.

The application deadline for fall entry is June 1. Applicants should submit an application form, LSAT results, transcripts, a personal statement, a nonrefundable application fee of $60, and 2 letters of recommendation. Notification of the admissions decision is after December 31. The latest acceptable LSAT test date for fall entry is February. The law school uses the LSDAS.

Appalachian School of Law, Appalachian School of Law Law School Financial Aid

About 95% of current law students receive some form of aid. The average annual amount of aid from all sources combined, including scholarships, loans, and work contracts, is $31,171; maximum, $41,090. Awards are based on need and merit. Required financial statement is the FAFSA. Students applying for need based aid are required to complete a need assessment application to determine eligibility. The aid application deadline for fall entry is July 1. First-year students are notified about their financial aid application at time of acceptance.

Appalachian School of Law, Appalachian School of Law Law School Students

About 35% of the student body are women; 6%, minorities; 1%, African American; 1%, Asian American; and 3%, Hispanic. The majority of students come from Virginia (26%). The average age of entering students is 26; age range is 21 to 55. About 46% of students enter directly from undergraduate school.

The primary law review is the Appalachian Journal of Law. There is a National Appellate Advocacy Competition, Wechsler National Criminal Law Competition, Gabrielli National Family Law Competition, ATLA Student Trial Advocacy Competition, ABA Client Counseling Competition, and ABA Negotiation Competition. Law student organizations, local chapters of national organizations, and campus organizations include the Black Law Students Association, Federalist Society, Equal Justice Works, Phi Alpha Delta, ATLA, Phi Delta Phi, Democratic Society, Republican Law Students Association, and Appalachian Women in Law.

The law school operates on a traditional semester basis. Courses for full-time students are offered days only and must be completed within 5 years. There is no part-time program. New students are admitted in the fall. There is no summer session. Transferable summer courses are not offered.