Missouri Bar committee seeks input on rural legal service gaps

The Missouri Bar‘s Special Committee on Rural Practice, established last July, is surveying attorneys, judges and the general public to gauge the state of legal access in rural Missouri counties.

The committee is trying to determine whether rural counties face a shortage of lawyers relative to residents’ needs, and if so, how severe the problem is, which counties or practice areas are hit hardest and what an aging rural legal workforce means for the future availability of services.

The online survey for attorneys can be found at www.surveymonkey.com/r/MoRuralLawyers; the survey for judges can be found at www.surveymonkey.com/r/MoRuralJudges; and the general public can weigh in at http://www.surveymonkey.com/r/RuralLegalSurvey.

In addition to the surveys, the committee will be meeting with attorneys and judges for in-person interviews throughout rural regions in the state.

Data collection will take place throughout the year, with results presented to the Bar’s Board of Governors next spring for potential policy and program recommendations.

“While various factors have been suggested — such as economic considerations, educational debt burdens, lifestyle preferences, or professional isolation — there has been no systematic study of what actually influences lawyers’ decisions about where to practice,” Bar President Athena Dickson said in a press release. “The committee will investigate whether financial concerns are the primary deterrent or whether other factors, like technology infrastructure challenges or family considerations, play significant roles.”