Appalachian School of Law ( ASL ) is an ABA-approved private law school on a four building campus in Grundy , Virginia , a small town near the convergence of Virginia , Kentucky , and West Virginia . The school offers a three-year Juris Doctor degree , and enrolls approximately 128 full-time students . The law school was founded in 1994 and admitted its first class of students in August 1997 . ASL was started and brought to Buchanan County , Virginia as a tool of economic development for the region . ASL is notable for its focus to community service and leadership , emphasizing professional responsibility and alternative dispute resolution in its curriculum and requiring students to complete 25 hours of community service per semester in order to graduate . Each student is also required to complete an externship before graduation . According to ASL 's 2018 ABA-required disclosures , 55 % of the Class of 2017 obtained full-time , long-term , JD-required employment nine months after graduation . ASL was also the site of a triple homicide that took place on January 16 , 2002
triple homicide
Appalachian School of Law shooting
Appalachian School of Law