You’d
be
forgiven
for
wondering
if
Charlotte
is
cursed.
Despite
being
America’s
ninth-largest
city,
the
last
time
we
put
a
full-time
law
school
in
Queen
City,
we
needed
to
set
up
a
food
bank
to
support
the
students.
Charlotte
School
of
Law,
an
InfiLaw-run,
for-profit
law
school,
collapsed
in
2017
amidst
probation,
bar
passage
carnage,
and
federal
financial
aid
chaos.
But,
for
better
or
worse,
legal
education
is
going
to
give
Charlotte
another
shot.
with
Elon
University
announcing
that
it
has
applied
to
the
ABA
for
approval
to
open
a
full-time
law
school
on
the
campus
of
Queens
University
of
Charlotte,
kicking
off
in
fall
2027
with
75
students.
This
marks
an
expansion
of
Elon’s
existing
part-time
program
in
Charlotte.
Back
in
2023,
when
Elon
University
first
started
making
noise
about
expanding
its
law
school
presence
in
Charlotte,
we
had
some
reservations.
While
Elon
boasts
better
academic
credentials
than
the
for-profit
InfiLaw
system,
its
main
campus
had
also
struggled
with
epically
poor
bar
passage
rates
not
too
many
years
earlier,
and
we
wondered
whether
a
new
program
in
Charlotte
just
shuffled
the
deck,
replacing
one
troubled
school
with
another.
By
the
way,
when
we
say
“epically
poor,”
we
mean
Elon’s
first-time
bar
passage
rate
on
the
North
Carolina
bar
exam
was…
0.00
percent.
It
was
around
46
percent
when
adding
other
jurisdictions.
But
a
lot
has
happened
since
then.
Elon’s
employment
figures
have
steadily
risen,
with
nearly
87
percent
of
the
graduating
class
in
long-term,
full-time
jobs,
and
the
underemployment
score
—
where
law
schools
often
get
away
with
murder
—
is
a
mere
2.9
percent.
The
bar
passage
rate
improved
too,
and
its
two-year
passage
rate
is
consistently
north
of
the
75
percent
threshold
required
for
accreditation.
The
university
has
put
together
a
decent
resume
for
law
school
administration.
With
Elon
expected
to
close
its
merger
with
Queens
University
of
Charlotte,
transitioning
to
a
full-time
law
school
provider
became
a
plausible
option.
University
President
Connie
Ledoux
Book
explained
the
decision:
“The
need
for
graduate
and
professional
programs
in
one
of
our
nation’s
fastest-growing
cities
makes
the
launch
of
a
full-time
law
program
a
natural
next
step
for
Elon
Law.”
When
Charlotte
School
of
Law
proceeded
to
lose
access
to
federal
loans,
set
up
the
aforementioned
food
bank,
see
its
dean
quit
after
a
month,
fight
a
sad
lawsuit
against
the
ABA
for
daring
to
have
standards,
and
ultimately
close
“effective
immediately”
after
the
state
yanked
its
license,
the
“natural
next
step”
seemed
to
be
salting
the
earth
so
no
law
school
could
take
root
there
again.
Instead,
Elon
is
approaching
Charlotte
as
an
opportunity
for
innovation.
Rather
than
just
add
a
new
campus
to
the
Greensboro
operation,
Elon
is
attempting
a
2.5-year
curriculum,
to
get
students
out
into
the
workforce
faster
and
presumably
more
cheaply.
Charlotte
is
the
largest
U.S.
city
without
a
law
school.
Its
metro
population
is
projected
to
grow
21
percent
between
2020
and
2034,
and
the
city
faces
documented
shortages
of
lawyers.
Cities
can
import
lawyers
from
law
schools
elsewhere,
but
building
a
local
lawyer
population
is
easiest
if
the
new
attorneys
don’t
have
to
move.
Does
that
mean
everything
will
go
smoothly?
Of
course
not.
Bar
passage
rates
could
slip.
The
market
could
shift.
And,
of
course,
the
curse
of
the
city
of
Charlotte
could
remanifest
and
the
new
campus
elevators
could
open
and
spill
forth
a
wave
of
blood
like
that
hotel
from
The
Shining.
But,
for
now,
we’re
wishing
the
city
luck
on
its
return
to
legal
education.
Joe
Patrice is
a
senior
editor
at
Above
the
Law
and
co-host
of
Thinking
Like
A
Lawyer.
Feel
free
to email
any
tips,
questions,
or
comments.
Follow
him
on Twitter or
Bluesky
if
you’re
interested
in
law,
politics,
and
a
healthy
dose
of
college
sports
news.
Joe
also
serves
as
a
Managing
Director
at
RPN
Executive
Search.