Charlotte is set to welcome a new law school as Elon University plans to open a program in the South End area next year. This development has generated excitement within the legal and business communities of Charlotte, as the city has been without a law school for the past six years. Alongside this, a medical school is also in the works, filling gaps in professional degrees in higher education for the city.
Local lawyers have expressed enthusiasm for the opportunity to mentor and work with students from the new law school. Elon University intends to start with a modest class of 35 students, so the impact on the legal market may not be immediate, given that Charlotte doesn’t currently face a significant shortage of lawyers.
The opening of this new law school also brings to mind the closure of the for-profit Charlotte School of Law in 2017 due to issues like mismanagement and low admission standards. However, the dean of Elon’s law school emphasized that their program is fundamentally different, with an established track record in Greensboro, a focus on quality, and a commitment to measured growth to maintain high-quality standards.
Switching gears, there are concerns regarding delinquency on loan payments for office buildings in Charlotte, with a reported rate of 30%, the highest among major U.S. cities. While this statistic appears alarming, experts suggest that the problem is primarily concentrated in a few uptown buildings, such as One Wells Fargo, the Charlotte Plaza building, and 200 North College. The rise of hybrid work models, company consolidations, and the influx of new office spaces are contributing factors, but it’s not a city-wide issue.
Lastly, despite the prevailing narrative that print media is on the decline, the North State Journal, a new statewide newspaper covering all of North Carolina, has purchased The Charlotte Observer’s printing facility in the University area. The North State Journal sees a promising future in print publications, citing growing demand for their newspaper and aiming to reach 10,000 subscribers next year. The facility will continue printing The Observer, The Wall Street Journal, and other publications under new ownership.