2145 Suttle Avenue
Charlotte, NC 28208
Phone: 704.971.8500; Fax: 704.971.8599
E-mail: admissions@charlottelaw.edu; Website: www.charlottelaw.edu
Welcome to Charlotte School of Law and the city of Charlotte, commercial center for one of the fastest-growing, most vibrant areas in the southeast. One glance at a news website, newspaper, or news magazine will reveal the importance of law in a changing environment. Few economic, social, or political issues get explored very long without some reference to law or legal process. Pursuing a law degree is thus a rewarding and satisfying experience. This is particularly true at CharlotteLaw, which combines a traditional curriculum with a focus on professional preparedness. This approach, combined with a strong connection with the legal community, provides students with opportunities to develop important skills and to be prepared for the rigors of law practice upon graduation.
In the past several years, the CharlotteLaw student body has grown both in size and diversity. Our students come from over 46 states. Our faculty has grown to include both scholars and practitioners—all dedicated to the school's mission to maintain a student-centered focus that promotes professional preparedness and serves underrepresented communities. In August of 2008, the school moved to a new state-of-the-art facility in West Charlotte that focuses on the student experience by incorporating the latest in technology and an emphasis on a collaborative learning environment. CharlotteLaw received full accreditation from the American Bar Association on June 10, 2011.
CharlotteLaw is committed to student success, ensuring that its traditional curriculum includes skills training and thorough preparation for the bar examination. Students also have access to externships and internships in the area's legal system, experiences that greatly enhance career growth and success.
An important part of the CharlotteLaw "magic" has to do with our location in Charlotte, North Carolina. Charlotte is a dynamic, rapidly growing, international city, which offers a rich array of family, educational, sports/recreational, cultural, and other opportunities. Our pleasant weather and close proximity to the sea and mountains provide a wonderful venue in which to study and pursue a career afterward. Indeed, North and South Carolina have one of the lowest proportions of lawyers in the United States and collectively is one of the fastest growing regions in the country.
We welcome you to learn more about our school. We encourage you to visit our campus, observe a class, and talk with our faculty and current students to discover for yourself the CharlotteLaw difference.
Our entire academic mission is structured around three core concepts that we strongly believe make the CharlotteLaw experience a unique and powerful one. These three ideals drive decision making as well as our academic approach; together they form a keen vision for the school.
The Charlotte School of Law faculty and administration have come together from various backgrounds and achievements to design a practice-ready curriculum and a supportive environment where students are inspired to learn, prepared to serve, and qualified to lead with excellence. Every member of our team is deeply committed to making sure our students have the skills to bridge each area of legal practice and are better equipped for professional life no matter what path they choose for themselves upon graduation.
The need for legal literacy has become a reality of complex contemporary business and government. A law degree adds value to almost any career one can imagine, and an increasing number of professionals are finding in the JD degree an experience that equips them well with the analytical, writing, counseling, and advocacy skills that are invaluable, no matter what one's calling.
Charlotte School of Law offers a full-time day program and a part-time program. In order to accommodate the varied needs of our students, the part-time program can be completed during the day or in the evening. Charlotte School of Law is one of few law schools to offer a spring program that starts in January. Both programs require the completion of 90 credit hours for graduation.
The Charlotte School of Law attracts applicants from not only North and South Carolina, but also from all over the United States. The process to gain admission is competitive; however, those who have scored well on the Law School Admission Test (LSAT) and have a good undergraduate grade-point average (in addition to other indicators of success) are good candidates to study law in our student-centered program.
CharlotteLaw offers a full-time program (completed in three years) and a flexible part-time program (completed in four years, summers included). Applications are accepted and reviewed throughout the academic year for entrance into either our fall or spring class. We do not have an application deadline; however, in order to have the best chance of being selected to join the CharlotteLaw family, you are encouraged to get your application in early and to complete the application process early (have all required materials on file). Early applicants with competitive numbers have the best chance of receiving a merit-based scholarship award.
The CharlotteLaw admission office staff will attempt to notify an applicant if a required item is missing from the application file. However, the applicant remains ultimately responsible for ensuring that the application file is completed in a timely fashion. Applicants are strongly encouraged to retain copies of all application information submitted.
File Review Process: Fall semester applications are reviewed after October 1 of each year. The file review process continues until the class-size goal is met.
January semester applications are reviewed after September 15 of each year. The file review process continues until the class-size goal is met.
Deferred Admission: Charlotte School of Law does not defer admission from one year to the following year. However, an applicant may be granted a deferral based on extreme circumstances after submitting a request in writing to the Admissions Department. Otherwise, applicants who are offered admission, but do not enroll must reapply.
Transfer/Visiting Students: Applications to transfer to Charlotte School of Law or to attend as a visiting student are evaluated by the Admissions Committee and the academic dean on a case-by-case basis. Transfer or visiting status is granted only to applicants who are currently in law school. If such an applicant is accepted, further details, instructions, and forms will be sent to the accepted applicant. Contact the Admissions Office with questions: 704.971.8540 or admissions@charlottelaw.edu.
The cost to attend law school may make your dream seem out of reach. Before you move to plan B, stop and think about the cost associated with anything worth doing. Law school is an investment in you and an investment in your future.
To offset the cost of tuition, CharlotteLaw offers federal loans and merit-based scholarship awards to applicants who qualify. We also have a performance-based scholarship program for continuing students.
Visit the financial aid page of the Charlotte School of Law website for more information: www.charlottelaw.org/admissions/admissionscontent.aspx?id=70.
Charlotte School of Law has elected not to publish an admission profile based on LSAT score and UGPA. While both numerical indicators are very important in understanding an applicant's potential for success in law school, those two factors are not the only ones taken into consideration. Charlotte Law currently uses no form of indexing system in reaching its admission decisions. Each completed application file is thoroughly reviewed in its entirety by a team of faculty and admission professionals.