Meredith Norris is pursuing a law degree.

The former lobbyist and aide to then-House Speaker Jim Black has enrolled as a law student at N.C. Central University. The university's registrar's office confirmed to Dome on Wednesday that she is a current student.

Norris was sentenced to 75 hours of community service in 2006 after pleading guilty to violating state lobbying laws, a misdemeanor.

Since then, she has worked as a real estate agent.

Norris did not respond Wednesday to an e-mail message from Dome.

The Pope Center for Higher Education Policy says North Carolina is "under-lawyered."

Robust growth and new businesses boost the need for lawyers in North Carolina, according to a center report released today. It cites data that North Carolina has fewer private-sector lawyers per capita than any other state (758 people for each lawyer).

But, the report says, state restrictions make the climate difficult for new lawyers to come here, reports Jane Stancill.

The reports says North Carolina allows only graduates of American Bar Association-approved law schools to take the state bar exam, and requires licensed lawyers from other states to have practiced for four of the past six years in order to "waive" in to the North Carolina bar. The rules prevent newly licensed lawyers and those who graduated from unaccredited law schools to practice here.

Read more after the jump.

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