Law School Profile

Charlotte School of Law

By Teresa Cajot The Charlotte School of Law (CharlotteLaw), which is located in North Carolina, offers a traditional curriculum paired with a concentration on professional awareness. Through experiential learning opportunities, the law schools graduates demonstrate competency in the areas of intellectual and analytical reasoning, problem solving and solution design, written and oral communication, information and community technology, negotiation, practice management, professional relations, professional ethics, leadership in social responsibility, and self-reflection and lifelong learning.

The school was established in 2006 and moved locations to the Bryant Park Development at the Western Gateway to Charlottes Center City District in 2008. In this location, the law school is housed in a four-story building with classrooms, offices, clinics, a moot court, meeting areas, student organization areas, and a law library. It received full American Bar Association accreditation in June of 2011. With both full and part-time JD programs and about 37 student organizations, CharlotteLaw caters to students with varying schedules and interests. A small sampling of the schools student organizations include CharlotteLaw Cares, CharlotteLaw Sports and Entertainment Law, the Health Law Society, Moot Court, Women in Law, the Actual Innocence Project, and the International Law Society. In accordance with its mission, the law school provides experiential opportunities through a number of programs including the Pro Bono Program, Externship Programs, Clinics, Clinical Labs, Practicums, the Charlotte Law Corporate Counsel Co-Op Program, and Access to Justice Courses. All students are required to participate in the Pro Bono Program and must complete at least 20 hours of pro bono legal work prior to graduation. The Externship Program provides students with placement opportunities in areas of public interest or judicial clerkships.

CharlotteLaws Clinic offerings consist of the Civil Rights Clinic, the Elder Law Clinic, the Entrepreneurial and Non-Profit Law Clinic, the Family Advocacy Clinic, the Unemployment Benefits Clinic, and the Immigration Clinical Lab. Access to Justice Courses, which include Divorce & Custody and Immigration, enable students to gain a better understanding of the legal needs of indigent clients prior to taking on actual pro bono work. The law school publishes the student-run Charlotte Law Review, which features scholarly and practice-related works addressing a range of legal matters. Students and alumni alike are encouraged to access the Center for Professional Development to examine career advancement opportunities and discuss career options. Denise Spriggs, CharlotteLaws interim dean, initially joined the school as the Associate Dean of Students and an Associate Professor. Prior to joining ChalotteLaw, she worked at Howard University as the Assistant Dean, and later as the Associate Dean for Student Affairs. She also held positions at WinstonSalem State University, Texas Southern University, La Guardia Community College, Seton Hall Law School, and Hofstra University School of Law.

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