UNCC has begun preparing for the development of a law school to train hopeful lawyers like Hodgin in the future.

There are only five law schools in North Carolina: Campbell, Duke, N.C. Central UNC-Chapel Hill and Wake Forest, with the closest being an hour and a half drive from Charlotte.

UNCC Chancellor James Woodward said a law school at UNCC could be 10 years away.

The University presently has a pre-law program through the political science department as well as a pre-law society.

Wayne Walcott, senior associate provost, said the actual planning of a law school is time consuming because it must be done with care.

Walcott said specific procedures must occur before the law school can be built.

The chancellor, a group of UNCC officials and outside constituents must first decide to focus on a particular area of law based on the demand from potential law students.

Next, they must consider the number of students expected to enroll on a short and long-term basis. University officials must also research the requirements for accreditation, as well as, the amount of qualified faculty to teach incoming students. Finally, the location of the law school will need to be discussed.

One possible location for the law school could be in Uptown Charlotte because it would provide convenient opportunities for the target audience who are presumed to already have jobs in the area. Walcott said finding affordable and available space in Uptown Charlotte is an important issue.

"Being the public university that we are, we are not rolling in dough," said Walcott.

More studies will be needed, he said, to find locations in reasonable proximity to the University besides Uptown Charlotte.

Walcott emphasized that a high level of caution will be necessary once the multimillion-dollar commitment begins.

"We cannot afford in any way shape or form to make a mistake in that commitment because of the size of it, " he said.

Outside consultants, knowledgeable members of campus, and the support from the local bar association would further help UNCC develop a top law school.

Walcott said a top-tier law school would benefit the first-rate financial facilities along with the various Fortune 500 companies in the community.

Queens University of Charlotte has been reported to be looking into the idea of forming a law school. However, if the private school's plan for a law school is much more developed than UNCC's, Woodward could pull UNCC back on its plans.

"If there is an unmet need and a private institution steps in to deal with that, as a public university, we probably shouldn't do it," he said.

Several years ago, UNCC administrators made plans to develop a school of pharmacy. However, Wingate University had been developing a plan of their own for a pharmacy at least a year prior to UNCC's commitment. Woodward talked to the president of Wingate and determined the school was too far ahead of UNCC's efforts.

Woodward told Wingate UNCC would share with them its research and halt its plans for a pharmacy program. "The same is a consideration when it comes to a law school," said Woodward.

Though the prospect of a law school hangs in the balance, Hodgin still hopes to become a lawyer.

The political science major decided to attend UNCC for a bachelor's degree after being told her chances of getting into Wake Forest's law school would be easier.

"They said it was more competitive if you go [to Wake Forest] to get into their law school than if you're an outside student because they have so many spaces reserved for outside students," she said.

Hodgin said the size of Charlotte would give her a greater opportunity to land internships.