Nebraska tries to bring lawyers to rural areas

Rural communities have struggled to attract lawyers to small towns. Law-school graduates in Georgia have had a hard time finding work, even though most of the state's rural counties lack lawyers, and states such as South Dakota and Kansas, where many counties are losing population, have tried to draw lawyers through incentives for recent graduates. That problem is occurring in Nebraska, where a shortage of attorneys in some communities "means long drives for clients, but a job market for law school graduates that is as expansive as the open prairie," Caitlin Sievers reports for the Sidney Sun-Telegraph in a town of 6,700 near the Colorado border. The county, which has nearly 10,000 residents, only has 18 lawyers; 12 rural counties in the state don't have a lawyer.

The Nebraska incentive program "is geared toward second-and third-year law students, and stresses the benefits of practicing law in rural areas in the state," Sievers writes. "The initiative featured a pair of two-day tours through Albion, a town of about 1,600 northwest of Columbus, and Ord, a town of about 2,000 north of Kearney. At least a couple of people found jobs because of the initiative, [state] bar association President Marsha Fangmeyer said." She told Sievers, "The hope is to continue this effort in other areas of the state. It is essential that we provide access to justice all across the state, including the rural areas." (Read more)