How a new Kansas law will help rural lawyers with student loan debt

Summary

• Kansas creates loan repayment program offering up to $20,000 annually for rural attorneys
• Law students eligible for stipends up to $3,000 per year tied to rural service
• Measure aims to address severe attorney shortages in rural Kansas
• Bipartisan effort targets access-to-justice concerns and constitutional implications

A new Kansas law could help Washburn University law students pay off their student loan debt or pay for expenses while in school.

On April 6, Gov. Laura Kelly signed into law a student loan forgiveness bill for lawyers interested in serving rural communities.

Sub for HB 2595 provides a stipend of up to $3,000 per school year for up to three years to each student entering the Law Student Training and Stipend Program. The stipend can be used for tuition, books, supplies or other school expenses. Participating students are required to practice law in a rural area for a minimum of one year for each year they receive the stipend.

The bill also establishes the Attorney Training and Loan Repayment Program for Rural Kansas, which gives loan repayment of $20,000 per year for attorneys who live and practice in a qualifying area for up to five years.

“Increasing access to attorneys in rural areas is key to ensuring that all Kansans have access to the well-qualified representation they are legally entitled to,” Kelly said in a written statement. “By signing this common sense bill, we are supporting law students and addressing our current shortage of attorneys in rural areas to build stronger, thriving Kansas communities.”

Shortage of legal resources in rural areas is continued constitutional crisis

Across the national rural communities have been faced with the constitutional crisis of not having enough lawyers and judges, which results in halts and delays within the legal system. In Kansas, roughly half of the state’s residents live in rural areas but only 20% of Kansas lawyers work in these communities.

In 2024, the U.S. Department of Justice visited Kansas to learn more about the unique ways Kansas has addressed this issue.

RELATED: Legal Deserts: Rural Missouri counties struggle with attorney shortages

One of the efforts Kansas has made was creating the Rural Justice Committee spearheaded by Chief Justice Marla Luckert. The committee did comprehensive research on how to increase rural law resources and provided recommendations to the state. The second of 10 recommendations was to find funding for a student loan forgiveness program to incentivize law students to work in the rural communities.

“This bill takes meaningful, long-term steps to address the shortage of attorneys in Kansas’ rural areas, which has been decreasing as older attorneys retire,” Rep. Ken Rahjes, R-Agra, said in a written statement. “Access to legal representation is a fundamental pillar of our justice system. Now more than ever, it is critical that we have qualified legal representation to preserve the economic and civic health of rural Kansas.”

The majority of Kansas counties qualify under this bill as a rural county or having a rural community.

“Sub for HB 2595 is a good example of what the legislature can do when it sets aside partisanship and focuses on what is best for Kansans. The lack of attorneys in rural areas has put the state on the verge of a constitutional crisis,” Rep. Linda Featherston, D-Overland Park, in a written statement. “Sub for HB 2595 will help avert this crisis by encouraging legal practices in rural Kansas. This will help ensure justice for all Kansans.”

Washburn professor garners bipartisan support for rural law bill

Shawn Leisinger, a Washburn University dean who oversees the rural law program, worked with various people to get the bill passed.

“The desire, the goal, the work that we’re trying to do is to address the extreme shortage of rural lawyers across Kansas,” Leisinger said.

While Washburn has various initiatives to encourage future lawyers to work in rural areas, Leisinger said there isn’t one big solution to the issue.

“I’ve always said it’s a matter of multiple puzzle pieces,” he said. “And one of the puzzle pieces that I saw early on and the courts agreed and we all kind of started working on, was student loan forgiveness. Because we have students who are willing to go to these rural areas (but) the income is not as much as in the big cities.”

Leisinger said he’s already had multiple students asking how to sign up for the Law Student Training and Stipend Program and is hopeful of its success.