Law
school
closures
are
a
sad
thing.
Even
when
they
have
low
bar
passage
rates,
seeing
them
close
their
doors
is
a
somber
occasion.
One
way
for
a
struggling
law
school
to
save
face
is
to
merge
with
another
school
to
alleviate
their
need
for
funding,
student
head
counts,
and
the
like.
The
Appalachian
School
of
Law
is
in
a
rough
spot
—
low
enrollment
and
funding
issues
are
pushing
them
to
merge
with
another
school.
There
is
a
small
issue:
the
school
they’re
considering
merging
with
is
about
three
hours
away.
VA
Lawyers
Weekly
has
coverage:
[An]
emergency
meeting
called
into
question
the
future
of
Virginia’s
smallest
law
school,
which
Appalachian
School
of
Law
President
and
Dean
David
Western
told
the
board
has
184
current
students
—
short
of
the
300
he
said
the
school
needs
to
be
“fully
sustainable.”
The
law
school
also
employs
approximately
47
people.In
a
statement
to
Virginia
Lawyers
Weekly,
Roanoke
College
spokesperson
Alicia
Petska
confirmed
the
college
“has
been
involved
in
confidential
conversations
with
the
Appalachian
School
of
Law.
…
We
believe
in
their
mission,
and
although
there
are
many
details
to
consider,
we
remain
eager
about
what
could
be
possible
together.
At
this
time,
no
formal
agreement
has
been
met.”
Merging
could
help
the
school
remain
open,
but
it
wouldn’t
be
a
fix
all.
The
school
was
founded
in
part
to
help
out
the
area’s
economy.
If
the
school
decides
to
stick
to
its
roots
and
stay
there,
they’d
have
to
figure
out
what
their
income
stream
would
be.
Not
only
is
the
school
short
about
the
120
students
they’d
need
to
be
fully
sustainable,
the
Trump
administration’s
recent
attack
on
grad
school
loans
makes
it
harder
for
the
average
American
to
even
afford
investing
in
a
law
degree.
Not
the
best
time
to
shrink
an
already
small
pool
of
potential
students.
Legal
deserts
in
places
like
Virginia
have
needed
attention
for
a
long
time
now.
Law
school
isn’t
just
the
hazing
entity
you
survive
before
you
get
your
Biglaw
gig.
Places
need
public
defenders
and
other
legal
assistance.
Piggybacking
on
Roanoke
may
keep
the
doors
open,
but
traveling
that
far
away
could
betray
some
of
the
school’s
founding
purposes.
Whatever
the
Appalachian
School
of
Law
decides
on,
I
hope
that
it
meets
their
community’s
legal
and
financial
needs.
Appalachian
School
Of
Law,
Roanoke
College
Explore
Merger
[VA
Lawyers
Weekly]
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.