Recruiting rural lawyers important for region's future

They say one lawyer will starve to death in a small town, but two lawyers will each be able to make a living.

There are better lawyer jokes, but it's true that lawyers are becoming a rare commodity in many rural Nebraska communities.

That puts rural residents at a disadvantage, should they need legal help.

It might be as simple as drawing up a will or real estate contract, which would require only one lawyer.

In the case of a divorce or custody battle, for example, the number of attorneys needed quickly multiplies and that requires costly mileage fees.

Ten counties have no lawyers at all, and in some counties, the only one is the county attorney.

Too often, that leaves low-income defendants in crimes without adequate representation, forced to accept an unfair plea bargain.

It takes a special person to start a professional practice in a rural area, and the best place to look for one is the rural area that needs their skills.

Taking a tip from the medical community, the Nebraska Bar Association is offering 15 scholarships and guaranteed acceptance into the University of Nebraska-Lincoln College of Law to rural students who keep their grades up and score well enough on the entrance exam.

The program is patterned after the Rural Health Opportunities Program, which has been successful in recruiting rural students to become small-town doctors.

The scholarships are offered to high-school graduates to attend Chadron State College, Wayne State College or the University of Nebraska at Kearney.

UNK calls its program the Kearney Law Opportunities Program. Students can major in any program with an emphasis in pre-law, encouraged to take courses in criminal justice, political science, business and others. If selected for KLOP, they receive full tuition for up to 125 credit hours.

Imperial attorney Tyler Pribbeno spoke at a recent Nebraska Community Foundation banquet in McCook and was interviewed by NET News/Harvest Public Media.

He said the opportunity to be part of the community and not be pigeonholed into a legal specialty drew him away from the bright lights of the city.

While deprived of some advantages of big-city living, there has been no shortage of legal work, he said.

Besides the scholarships, RLOP participants visit Nebraska Law for guest lectures, special court proceedings, observation of classes and networking activities.

Between their junior and senior years, RLOP students have the opportunity to participate in rural Nebraska internships.

Most of us who live in rural Nebraska do so because we prefer the lifestyle it offers. To be able to continue to do so, however, all of us at times will need professional legal representation. The Nebraska Bar Association's efforts, with the help of the state colleges, is helping make that possible.

For more information, visit http://law.unl.edu/RLOP/