Appalachian
School
of
Law
has
recently
made
headlines
over
its
financial
straits.
The
school
was
so
pressed
for
money
that
it
floated
the
idea
of
merging
with
a
college
hours
away,
but
that
would
betray
the
school’s
mission
of
making
lawyers
in
the
community.
There
was
talk
of
the
County
granting
the
school
$6M
to
keep
the
doors
open,
but
recent
developments
suggest
that
number
has
been
dialed
down
quite
a
bit.
Cardinal
News
has
coverage:
Buchanan
County
supervisors
have
tentatively
agreed
to
provide
$3.4
million
to
help
keep
the
Appalachian
School
of
Law
afloat.The
county
board
had
previously
been
asked
to
consider
providing
$6
million
to
the
small
private
school.
…
[S]upervisor
Trey
Adkins
—
who
was
recently
appointed
to
the
law
school’s
board
of
trustees
—
moved
to
provide
$3.4
million
to
the
county
Industrial
Development
Authority
to
help
boost
the
school’s
struggling
finances.
An
important
factor
in
the
push
to
keep
Appalachian
Law
open
is
job
preservation.
Faculty
and
staff
aren’t
the
only
beneficiaries
—
nearby
businesses
and
landlords
benefit
from
the
foot
traffic
and
lodging
students
getting
their
degrees.
As
important
as
it
is
to
consider
the
economic
benefits
that
spill
over
from
having
the
law
school,
the
school’s
reluctance
to
be
transparent
about
its
funding
can’t
inspire
much
faith
in
investors:
The
law
school
got
a
loan
from
the
Virginia
Coalfield
Economic
Development
Authority,
but
it
was
not
paid
back,
[Craig]
Stiltner
noted.
He
complained
that
the
law
school
has
been
reluctant
to
provide
financial
documents
to
the
county
without
signing
a
non-disclosure
agreement.
What?
Did
the
school
secretly
stake
Tom
Goldstein
or
something?
Showing
a
bit
of
paperwork
should
be
a
small
ask
when
millions
of
dollars
in
funding
on
the
line.
Given
the
school’s
recent
fiscal
history,
Stiltner
would
rather
see
the
school
ask
for
donations
or
work
on
their
headcount
than
rely
on
county
funding
to
stay
above
water.
As
for
the
$3.4M
on
the
table,
the
Industrial
Development
Authority
and
the
School
Board
still
need
to
sign
off
on
it.
The
school
also
needs
to
cough
up
a
financial
plan
by
March
2nd
to
receive
the
first
half
of
the
money.
Best
of
luck!
Buchanan
County
Tentatively
Agrees
To
Give
$3.4
Million
To
Struggling
Law
School
[Cardinal
News]
Earlier:
Regional
Law
School
Receives
$6M
Grant
To
Stay
Afloat
Regional
Law
School
Explores
Long-Distance
Merger
Chris
Williams
became
a
social
media
manager
and
assistant
editor
for
Above
the
Law
in
June
2021.
Prior
to
joining
the
staff,
he
moonlighted
as
a
minor
Memelord™
in
the
Facebook
group Law
School
Memes
for
Edgy
T14s
.
He
endured
Missouri
long
enough
to
graduate
from
Washington
University
in
St.
Louis
School
of
Law.
He
is
a
former
boatbuilder
who
is
learning
to
swim, is
interested
in
critical
race
theory,
philosophy,
and
humor,
and
has
a
love
for
cycling
that
occasionally
annoys
his
peers.
You
can
reach
him
by
email
at [email protected]
and
by
tweet
at @WritesForRent.