Rural Practice Fellowship Program Fellows Announced

The names of the 11 Fellows selected to participate in the 2026 Rural Practice Fellowship Program, which is designed to meet the critical need of providing access to justice for those living in rural areas with a declining lawyer population, have been announced.

The Rural Practice Summer Fellows Program aims to connect law students with rural practitioners and to give them a taste of rural practice before they leave law school. The program includes a $5,000 fellowship grant and mentoring.

The Rural Practice Associate Fellows Program aims to place graduating law students and attorneys as permanent associates with rural practitioners. The program includes a $5,000 stipend at the beginning of employment, and an additional $5,000 stipend if the associate is still working for the same firm after one year.

2026 Summer Clerk Fellows:

• Fellow: Bailey Harvey, Northern Illinois University College of Law
  Firm: Ehrmann Gehlbach Badger & Considine, LLC (Lee County)
• Fellow: Elijah Strode*, Indiana University Maurer School of Law
  Firm: Bennett Schroeder & Wieck (Clark County)
• Fellow: Jenna Zumbahlen, Southern Illinois University Simmons Law School
  Firm: Law Group Ltd. (Effingham County)
• Fellow: Michael Moss, Southern Illinois University Simmons Law School
  Firm: Kruger & Abell Law Firm (Massac County)
• Fellow: Paula Diederich, Northern Illinois University College of Law
  Firm: Stumpf & Gutknecht, P.C. (Monroe County)

2026-27 Associate Fellows:

• Fellow: Dylan Hakey, University of Illinois Chicago Law School
  Firm: Meents Law, P.C. (Grundy County)
• Fellow: Jenna Hayes, Southern Illinois University Simmons Law School
  Firm: Dove & Dove Attorneys (Shelby County)
• Fellow: Tyffanie Ambrosius, Southern Illinois University Simmons Law School

  Firm: McMillan Hennenfent & DeJoode, PC (McDonough County)
• Fellow: Reagan Honn, Southern Illinois University Simmons Law School
  Firm: Rammelkamp Bradney, P.C. (Morgan County)
• Fellow: Taryn DePugh*, University of Illinois College of Law
  Firm: Huber & Mudd, LLC (Vermilion County)
• Fellow: Lauren Rushton, Southern Illinois University Simmons Law School

  Firm: The Law Office of Rebecca L. Reinhardt, LLC (Jefferson County)

   

  *Rammelkamp Bradney, P.C. Fellow

  *ISBA Mutual Insurance Company Fellow