Rural Practice Fellowship Program Update
Access to justice in rural communities continues to be a challenge facing the legal profession. The ISBA Rural Practice Fellowship Program was created to help meet that need by connecting law students and attorneys with law firms in rural and small-town Illinois.
Through this program, summer law clerks receive a $5,000 stipend, and associate attorneys receive $10,000, distributed in two installments to support their transition into rural practice. These opportunities are made possible through the generous support of the ISBA, the ISBA Mutual Insurance Company, and dedicated individual donors who believe in strengthening legal services across the state.
The program was launched during the 2020-2021 bar year under the leadership of Past President Dennis Orsey as part of a broader rural practice initiative. Since that time, it has grown into a meaningful pipeline connecting law students and attorneys with rural practice opportunities, awarding grants to 34 summer law clerks and 43 associate attorneys.
To be eligible, applicants must first secure a position with a participating rural law firm. While not every matched candidate receives funding, interest in the program continues to grow. Over the past six years alone, 84 summer clerk matches and 50 associate attorney matches have applied for fellowship grants, which demonstrates both the demand for and impact of the program.
As the program has evolved, so has its approach. Fellows are now required to provide pro-bono services, reinforcing the program’s commitment to expanding access to justice. In addition, recruitment efforts have broadened. While early outreach focused primarily on law students, the program now actively engages attorneys in urban areas encouraging those at transitional points in their careers to consider the professional and personal rewards of rural practice. Law students remain an important part of the pipeline, but the program increasingly seeks to attract licensed attorneys ready for a change of pace.
For participating law firms, the program offers a valuable recruitment tool. Firms gain access to a pool of candidates who are specifically interested in rural practice thus eliminating the need for costly and often ineffective independent job postings. By leveraging the ISBA’s statewide reach, firms can connect with a broader and more targeted audience of potential hires.
Beyond recruitment, the program has helped shine a light on the unique opportunities and critical needs present in rural Illinois. Its continued growth reflects a shared commitment to ensuring that communities across the state have access to quality legal services.
The ISBA has since expanded the original initiative into the Rural Practice Section and its governing council, which continues to administer the fellowship program while developing additional efforts to support attorneys in rural and small-town communities. ISBA members may join the section at no cost. To learn more, please visit the Rural Practice Section webpage isba.org/sections/rural.
Those interested in becoming more involved with the Rural Practice Fellowship Program are encouraged to contact Rural Practice Section Chair Angel Wawrzynek at angel@mattoonlawyers.com. For those in a position to give, financial contributions remain essential to sustaining and expanding the program’s reach. To make a donation, please visit the Illinois Bar Foundation website. Donors who make a contribution by June 1, 2026, will be recognized in the July issue of the Illinois Bar Journal as part of the program’s annual sponsor recognition.
Donor levels and corresponding recognition opportunities are available, and additional information can be found at isba.org/ruralpractice/support. We invite you to consider supporting the program at a level that is meaningful to you and helps ensure continued success.
Every contribution, whether through funding, mentorship, or service, plays a role in strengthening rural practice in Illinois. Thank you to all who have supported this program and helped it continue to grow.