{"id":146906,"date":"2026-03-23T15:32:30","date_gmt":"2026-03-23T23:32:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/2026\/03\/23\/march-madness-cinderella-with-mock-airplane-cabin-january-6-role-getting-aba-approved-law-school\/"},"modified":"2026-03-23T15:32:30","modified_gmt":"2026-03-23T23:32:30","slug":"march-madness-cinderella-with-mock-airplane-cabin-january-6-role-getting-aba-approved-law-school","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/2026\/03\/23\/march-madness-cinderella-with-mock-airplane-cabin-january-6-role-getting-aba-approved-law-school\/","title":{"rendered":"March Madness Cinderella With Mock Airplane Cabin &amp; January 6 Role Getting ABA-Approved Law School"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>If you spent the tail end of last week watching the NCAA Tournament, you may have encountered High Point University, the 12-seed that knocked off Wisconsin 83-82 in one of the Big Ten\u2019s few blemishes so far. And if you watched the ensuing media coverage, you may have learned that High Point is, <a href=\"https:\/\/defector.com\/high-point-is-a-deeply-weird-school\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">as Defector put it<\/a>, \u201ca deeply weird school.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>And now it\u2019s a deeply weird school with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.abajournal.com\/news\/article\/high-point-northern-illinois-law-schools-get-nod-from-legal-ed-council\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">provisional approval from the ABA for its law school<\/a>. <\/p>\n<p>High Point\u2019s Kenneth F. Kahn School of Law earned the designation from ABA\u2019s Council of the Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar at the most recent meeting. Provisional approval means the school\u2019s graduates \u2014 High Point began enrolling law students in 2024 \u2014 can sit for the bar exam and are entitled to the same recognition as graduates of fully approved schools. The school will need to demonstrate full compliance within five years to earn permanent accreditation.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s just another piece of the professional puzzle for the private North Carolina school, which brands itself as \u201cThe Premier Life Skills University.\u201d And by \u201clife skills,\u201d the school means training graduates to be the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/us-news\/education\/north-carolina-college-high-point-amenities-30b0fc14?st=NxvURW&amp;reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">most obnoxious spam poster on LinkedIn<\/a>:<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>Because job interviews and client deals often happen over meals, administrators want students to rehearse social etiquette. So they built a steakhouse, Mediterranean restaurant and Teppanyaki grill, where students can eat weekly as part of their meal plan. Reservations are required; phones banished.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Also on campus is an airplane-cabin interior, because sitting next to an executive on a plane could offer a golden opportunity\u2014one young people should rehearse for. The campus concierge offers students airport shuttle service for free if they wear a High Point University shirt; otherwise it costs $95\u2014a lesson in brand awareness.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Everything about that is insufferable. But at least a school has come along to protect a future JD Vance from the supposed trauma he suffered when he <a href=\"https:\/\/marginaliablog.substack.com\/p\/what-yale-law-school-taught-me-about\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">couldn\u2019t figure out a salad fork<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>As the WSJ article notes, \u201csome online critics deem High Point a \u2018glorified country club,\u2019 a characterization students and administrators dispute.\u201d Presumably the school takes offense that \u201cglorified\u201d seems to mock the genuine country club they\u2019ve built. The school charges wealthy students almost $40,000 for private housing and has six heated pools on campus. High Point charges high tuition to teach rich kids \u2014 \u201cHalf of Wall Street sends their kids to this school,\u201d brags the university president \u2014 to Patrick Bateman their way to the top by rehearsing power lunches and becoming some air travel weary executive\u2019s nightmare single-serving friend.<\/p>\n<p>As for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.highpoint.edu\/law\/campus-tour\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">the law school<\/a>, its 140 or so students \u2014 having only started accepting students for the Fall of 2024, there are only 1Ls and 2Ls so far \u2014 enjoy a shiny new 77,000-square-foot building featuring a 120-seat courtroom, two smaller courtrooms, and a 13,000-square-foot law library. Presumably they also have one of those F1 simulators, except for chasing down ambulances.<\/p>\n<p>The founding dean is Mark Martin, former Chief Justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court, who has previously served as a law school dean. Which sounds great until you realize that his prior law school deanship was at Regent, a school founded by a guy who thought\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2013\/07\/09\/us\/pat-robertson-facebook-remark\/index.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">hurricanes target gay rights and that earthquakes are the natural result of overthrowing slavery<\/a>, and that Martin himself is allegedly \u2014 along with John Eastman \u2014 the other half of the \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/abovethelaw.com\/2021\/01\/donald-trump-pegs-law-school-dean-as-source-of-dingbat-pence-can-overturn-election-theory\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Mike Pence could unilaterally declare that Trump won the 2020 election if he wanted to<\/a>\u201d theory booster club. According to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2021\/01\/10\/us\/politics\/trump-impeachment.html\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">the New York Times<\/a>, Trump personally told Pence that Martin had advised him the VP had the power to decide who wins a presidential election. <\/p>\n<p>In Martin\u2019s defense, Trump has also claimed that a former president told him that he wished he\u2019d gone to war with Iran \u2014 a conversation <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/politics\/donald-trump\/said-spoke-a-former-president-bombing-iran-four-denials-suggest-not-rcna263819\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">all living presidents have denied having<\/a> \u2014 so it\u2019s possible the convicted felon did not properly convey Martin\u2019s advice. That said, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.govinfo.gov\/content\/pkg\/GPO-J6-REPORT\/pdf\/GPO-J6-REPORT.pdf\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">January 6 Committee\u2019s final report<\/a> indicates Martin spoke with Trump about it over a seven-minute phone call.<\/p>\n<p>Maybe he should\u2019ve spoken with him on an airplane.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/us-news\/education\/north-carolina-college-high-point-amenities-30b0fc14?st=NxvURW&amp;reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">How a Small North Carolina College Became a Magnet for Wealthy Students<\/a> [WSJ]<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/defector.com\/high-point-is-a-deeply-weird-school\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">High Point Is A Deeply Weird School<\/a> [Defector]<\/p>\n<p><strong>Earlier<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/abovethelaw.com\/2021\/01\/donald-trump-pegs-law-school-dean-as-source-of-dingbat-pence-can-overturn-election-theory\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Donald Trump Pegs Law School Dean As Source Of Dingbat \u2018Pence Can Overturn Election\u2019 Theory<\/a><\/p>\n<hr>\n<p><strong><em><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright wp-image-443318\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/abovethelaw.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2016\/11\/Headshot-300x200.jpg?resize=192%2C128&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Headshot\" width=\"192\" height=\"128\" title=\"\"><a href=\"http:\/\/abovethelaw.com\/author\/joe-patrice\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Joe Patrice<\/a>\u00a0is a senior editor at Above the Law and co-host of <a href=\"http:\/\/legaltalknetwork.com\/podcasts\/thinking-like-a-lawyer\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Thinking Like A Lawyer<\/a>. Feel free to\u00a0<a href=\"mailto:joepatrice@abovethelaw.com\">email<\/a> any tips, questions, or comments. Follow him on\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/josephpatrice\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Twitter<\/a>\u00a0or <a href=\"https:\/\/bsky.app\/profile\/joepatrice.bsky.social\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">Bluesky<\/a> if you\u2019re interested in law, politics, and a healthy dose of college sports news. Joe also serves as a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rpnexecsearch.com\/josephpatrice\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Managing Director at RPN Executive Search<\/a>.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The post <a href=\"https:\/\/abovethelaw.com\/2026\/03\/march-madness-cinderella-with-mock-airplane-cabin-january-6-role-getting-aba-approved-law-school\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">March Madness Cinderella With Mock Airplane Cabin &amp; January 6 Role Getting ABA-Approved Law School<\/a> appeared first on <a href=\"https:\/\/abovethelaw.com\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Above the Law<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>If you spent the tail end of last week watching the NCAA Tournament, you may have encountered High Point University, the 12-seed that knocked off Wisconsin 83-82 in one of the Big Ten\u2019s few blemishes so far. And if you watched the ensuing media coverage, you may have learned that High Point is, <a href=\"https:\/\/defector.com\/high-point-is-a-deeply-weird-school\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">as Defector put it<\/a>, \u201ca deeply weird school.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>And now it\u2019s a deeply weird school with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.abajournal.com\/news\/article\/high-point-northern-illinois-law-schools-get-nod-from-legal-ed-council\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">provisional approval from the ABA for its law school<\/a>. <\/p>\n<p>High Point\u2019s Kenneth F. Kahn School of Law earned the designation from ABA\u2019s Council of the Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar at the most recent meeting. Provisional approval means the school\u2019s graduates \u2014 High Point began enrolling law students in 2024 \u2014 can sit for the bar exam and are entitled to the same recognition as graduates of fully approved schools. The school will need to demonstrate full compliance within five years to earn permanent accreditation.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s just another piece of the professional puzzle for the private North Carolina school, which brands itself as \u201cThe Premier Life Skills University.\u201d And by \u201clife skills,\u201d the school means training graduates to be the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/us-news\/education\/north-carolina-college-high-point-amenities-30b0fc14?st=NxvURW&amp;reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">most obnoxious spam poster on LinkedIn<\/a>:<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>Because job interviews and client deals often happen over meals, administrators want students to rehearse social etiquette. So they built a steakhouse, Mediterranean restaurant and Teppanyaki grill, where students can eat weekly as part of their meal plan. Reservations are required; phones banished.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Also on campus is an airplane-cabin interior, because sitting next to an executive on a plane could offer a golden opportunity\u2014one young people should rehearse for. The campus concierge offers students airport shuttle service for free if they wear a High Point University shirt; otherwise it costs $95\u2014a lesson in brand awareness.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Everything about that is insufferable. But at least a school has come along to protect a future JD Vance from the supposed trauma he suffered when he <a href=\"https:\/\/marginaliablog.substack.com\/p\/what-yale-law-school-taught-me-about\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">couldn\u2019t figure out a salad fork<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>As the WSJ article notes, \u201csome online critics deem High Point a \u2018glorified country club,\u2019 a characterization students and administrators dispute.\u201d Presumably the school takes offense that \u201cglorified\u201d seems to mock the genuine country club they\u2019ve built. The school charges wealthy students almost $40,000 for private housing and has six heated pools on campus. High Point charges high tuition to teach rich kids \u2014 \u201cHalf of Wall Street sends their kids to this school,\u201d brags the university president \u2014 to Patrick Bateman their way to the top by rehearsing power lunches and becoming some air travel weary executive\u2019s nightmare single-serving friend.<\/p>\n<p>As for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.highpoint.edu\/law\/campus-tour\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">the law school<\/a>, its 140 or so students \u2014 having only started accepting students for the Fall of 2024, there are only 1Ls and 2Ls so far \u2014 enjoy a shiny new 77,000-square-foot building featuring a 120-seat courtroom, two smaller courtrooms, and a 13,000-square-foot law library. Presumably they also have one of those F1 simulators, except for chasing down ambulances.<\/p>\n<p>The founding dean is Mark Martin, former Chief Justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court, who has previously served as a law school dean. Which sounds great until you realize that his prior law school deanship was at Regent, a school founded by a guy who thought\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2013\/07\/09\/us\/pat-robertson-facebook-remark\/index.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">hurricanes target gay rights and that earthquakes are the natural result of overthrowing slavery<\/a>, and that Martin himself is allegedly \u2014 along with John Eastman \u2014 the other half of the \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/abovethelaw.com\/2021\/01\/donald-trump-pegs-law-school-dean-as-source-of-dingbat-pence-can-overturn-election-theory\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Mike Pence could unilaterally declare that Trump won the 2020 election if he wanted to<\/a>\u201d theory booster club. According to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2021\/01\/10\/us\/politics\/trump-impeachment.html\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">the New York Times<\/a>, Trump personally told Pence that Martin had advised him the VP had the power to decide who wins a presidential election. <\/p>\n<p>In Martin\u2019s defense, Trump has also claimed that a former president told him that he wished he\u2019d gone to war with Iran \u2014 a conversation <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/politics\/donald-trump\/said-spoke-a-former-president-bombing-iran-four-denials-suggest-not-rcna263819\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">all living presidents have denied having<\/a> \u2014 so it\u2019s possible the convicted felon did not properly convey Martin\u2019s advice. That said, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.govinfo.gov\/content\/pkg\/GPO-J6-REPORT\/pdf\/GPO-J6-REPORT.pdf\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">January 6 Committee\u2019s final report<\/a> indicates Martin spoke with Trump about it over a seven-minute phone call.<\/p>\n<p>Maybe he should\u2019ve spoken with him on an airplane.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/us-news\/education\/north-carolina-college-high-point-amenities-30b0fc14?st=NxvURW&amp;reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">How a Small North Carolina College Became a Magnet for Wealthy Students<\/a> [WSJ]<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/defector.com\/high-point-is-a-deeply-weird-school\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">High Point Is A Deeply Weird School<\/a> [Defector]<\/p>\n<p><strong>Earlier<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/abovethelaw.com\/2021\/01\/donald-trump-pegs-law-school-dean-as-source-of-dingbat-pence-can-overturn-election-theory\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Donald Trump Pegs Law School Dean As Source Of Dingbat \u2018Pence Can Overturn Election\u2019 Theory<\/a><\/p>\n<hr>\n<p><strong><em><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright wp-image-443318\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/abovethelaw.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2016\/11\/Headshot-300x200.jpg?resize=192%2C128&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Headshot\" width=\"192\" height=\"128\" title=\"\"><a href=\"http:\/\/abovethelaw.com\/author\/joe-patrice\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Joe Patrice<\/a>\u00a0is a senior editor at Above the Law and co-host of <a href=\"http:\/\/legaltalknetwork.com\/podcasts\/thinking-like-a-lawyer\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Thinking Like A Lawyer<\/a>. Feel free to\u00a0<a href=\"mailto:joepatrice@abovethelaw.com\">email<\/a> any tips, questions, or comments. Follow him on\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/josephpatrice\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Twitter<\/a>\u00a0or <a href=\"https:\/\/bsky.app\/profile\/joepatrice.bsky.social\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">Bluesky<\/a> if you\u2019re interested in law, politics, and a healthy dose of college sports news. Joe also serves as a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rpnexecsearch.com\/josephpatrice\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Managing Director at RPN Executive Search<\/a>.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The post <a href=\"https:\/\/abovethelaw.com\/2026\/03\/march-madness-cinderella-with-mock-airplane-cabin-january-6-role-getting-aba-approved-law-school\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">March Madness Cinderella With Mock Airplane Cabin &amp; January 6 Role Getting ABA-Approved Law School<\/a> appeared first on <a href=\"https:\/\/abovethelaw.com\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Above the Law<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>If you spent the tail end of last week watching the NCAA Tournament, you may have encountered High Point University, the 12-seed that knocked off Wisconsin 83-82 in one of the Big Ten\u2019s few blemishes so far. And if you watched the ensuing media coverage, you may have learned that High Point is, as Defector [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":146907,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-146906","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-above_the_law"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/xira.com\/p\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Headshot-300x200-Q8vVGZ.jpg?fit=300%2C200&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/146906","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=146906"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/146906\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/146907"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=146906"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=146906"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=146906"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}