N.D. law school starts 1-year pilot program to interest students in practicing in rural areas

In an effort to encourage graduates to consider jobs in rural areas that are in desperate need of lawyers, the University of North Dakota School of Law has created a one-year pilot program to give students an idea of what it's like to live and work in a rural area, Ashley Marquis reports for Dakota Student, the college's student-run newspaper. If continued, "The program would offer three internships for law students to go to smaller communities in the state that have less than 15,000 people. The interns would work closely with a judge throughout the summer and into the school year." (Dakota Student photo by Chester Beltowski)

Four of the state's 53 counties have no attorneys, and 21 have three or fewer, Marquis writes. Officials hope the program allows students to "learn more about rural communities and the benefits that come from working in them as well." Brad Parrish, assistant dean of student life for the law school, told Marquis, “It will give students exposure and gain an appreciation to practice in a small community and hopefully go there when they are finished."

Gail Hagerty, a judge from the Bismarck-Mandan area, said in a university press release: “There are real legal needs out there: more oil and gas law, an increasing amount of probate matters, more crimes to deal with and more need for family law. Right now, without immediate access to legal services, it’s very difficult for people, and it can increase costs. We also need more attorneys to do indigent defense work, we need more prosecutors, and we need more new practitioners. There’s a lot of potential in rural communities.” (Read more)

Other states, such as Nebraska, Georgia, South Dakota, and Kansas, have started incentive programs to interest lawyers in taking jobs in rural areas.