Two collaborative agreements signed today are making it easier and more affordable for regional students to pursue a law degree.

King University and Appalachian School of Law (ASL) have together created a 3+3 agreement that reduces the time required for law education by a year.

Qualified enrollees will take three years of undergraduate courses at King and receive preferred admission status to ASL. Successful completion of the first year of law courses will then retroactively apply to King’s degree program, serving as the fulfillment of a bachelor’s degree in English, history, or political science.

“Typically, law degrees require four years of undergraduate studies and three years of law school,” said Keith Faulkner, president of ASL. “This agreement will allow students to complete coursework related to achieving a juris doctor in six years instead of seven. So not only does this diminish the amount of debt a student might take on, it launches graduates into their career field a year ahead of their peers.”

ASL coursework will be offered in person at the main campus located in Grundy, Virginia.

“Both King and the Appalachian School of Law are focused on cultivating and serving our region,” said Alexander Whitaker, president of King. “Offering King students this accelerated option helps equip our pre-law graduates with more educational pathways, and also provides area employers with greater numbers of well-rounded applicants, keeping our intellectual capital close to home.”

King and ASL also entered into a Preferred Admissions agreement that streamlines and speeds up the law school admissions process for King graduates not participating in the 3+3 program.

The agreements go into effect immediately.

“This partnership makes sense for our region, especially for those students who feel a calling to increase access to justice throughout central Appalachia,” Faulkner said. “The ratio of lawyers in our region is around one-third of that in other areas, and our graduates are at the forefront of providing critical legal services to those who most need them.”