Kansas Supreme Court helping rural counties deal with extreme attorney shortage

TOPEKA (KSNT) — The Kansas Supreme Court is taking action as rural communities in Kansas are dealing with an attorney shortage.

Forty-seven counties in Kansas are classified as “legal deserts.” This means they do not have enough practicing attorneys to properly serve the population. The Kansas Supreme Court is taking a big step towards addressing this issue by establishing the “Rural Justice Initiative Committee.”

This committee will take action on previously identified recommendations on how to fix the attorney shortage. These include establishing a statewide rural attorney training program, as well as creating student loan repayment programs.

Kansas Supreme Court Justice “K.J.” Wall Jr. said it will be a big help to small Kansas communities.

“When you don’t have these attorneys in our rural communities, businesses and individuals who may be trying to expand their business or fighting for custody of a child have to travel greater distances, pay more money for representation, or they have to try to maneuver a very complicated system on their own without the assistance of counsel,” Wall said.

The Supreme Court is accepting public comments on the new proposed committee until Oct. 2. The court is encouraging all Kansans to share their perspective on how the committee can help rural attorneys. You can learn more about the committee by clicking here.

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