Dear Source,
I've long had a concept as to what role Alexander Hamilton's legacy might play in contributing to the current economy of St. Croix. My concept is that there mght be a school of professional studies which would bring students here.
Alexander Hamilton studied at Princeton University but became a lawyer through a clerking apprenticeship. Very few become lawyers that way today; the standard route is through study at school of law approved by the American Bar Association.
The ABA has standards which result in a high start-up overhead. There are also dozens of non-ABA law schools in various states, but their graduates are generally limited to practice in-state.
The Virgin Islands does not have either a donor for an ABA school or a population size which could support a comparable non-ABA school. There is a loophole and a niche. When most people think of law, they think in terms of lawyers who are ABA- and state bar association-member jury court barristers. But there is also a parallel system of courts which serve state and federal regulatory agencies. These venues are called Federal Administrative Law Courts.
Federal administrative law advocates need not be jury court barristers and can practice in any state. Students seeking to become FAL non-lawyer advocates could come from anywhere in the United States and return home to practice.
This makes St. Croix viable for a school location. As Hamilton was chiefly known for pioneering work in federal administrative law, the legacy matches the opportunity to create the Alexander Hamilton School of Federal Admnistrative Law.
Richard Bond
St. Croix
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