Rural Law Practice in the News

Judicial branch targets rural access to justice through new grant funding

In early 2026, the Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Access to Justice (“ATJ Commission”) took a significant step toward addressing rural legal deserts by launching the Reducing Barriers to Meaningful Participation in Court Grant for the 2026–2027 grant cycle. The program explicitly prioritizes projects serving legal deserts, including rural and downstate counties where access to private attorneys and legal aid services remains limited.¹

Eligible projects include remote court appearance programs for rural counties, community‑based legal clinics, limited‑scope representation initiatives, and legal advice hotlines designed to reduce geographic and economic barriers to court access.² Grants run from May 1, 2026 through April 30, 2027, and are funded entirely through attorney registration fees and pro hac vice fees rather than general tax revenue.³

For rural practitioners, the program signals a shift in judicial strategy toward supporting localized, partnership‑driven solutions that supplement existing legal services rather than relying solely on traditional recruitment of private attorneys.

ARDC updates attorney registration to better map rural shortages

Also in March 2026, the Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission (“ARDC”) announced changes to the 2026 Illinois attorney registration process designed to more accurately capture where attorneys practice and whether they are available for private representation.⁴ The updated registration questions are intended to address long‑standing data gaps that have understated the severity of rural attorney shortages across Illinois.

Recent ARDC and Illinois Supreme Court reporting has highlighted counties, particularly in southern and southeastern Illinois, with only one resident attorney, and in some cases none.⁵ By improving data collection, the ARDC aims to provide policymakers and judicial stakeholders with clearer insight into where legal deserts exist and how severe they are, laying the groundwork for future funding, incentive programs, or regulatory reforms.

For rural firms, improved data may help drive targeted relief efforts and strengthen the case for additional judicial or legislative support.

Continued development of Illinois Community Justice Worker Program

In parallel with these funding and data initiatives, the Illinois Supreme Court continues development of its Community Justice Worker Program, an access‑to‑justice model that would permit trained non‑lawyer advocates to provide limited legal assistance under attorney supervision in areas of high unmet legal need.⁶

While approved in concept in late 2025, program development continued into 2026, with the Supreme Court’s Executive Committee expected to submit final recommendations by October 1, 2026.⁷ Court leadership has repeatedly emphasized that rural and downstate communities, where attorney shortages are most acute, are a central focus of the program’s design.

Although some rural practitioners have expressed concern about non‑lawyer involvement in legal service delivery, the Court has framed the initiative as a supplement to existing legal services, not a replacement for rural attorneys, particularly in areas such as housing, family law, and basic civil matters.

Kansas expands pipeline‑based incentives for rural practice

In March 2026, Kansas enacted the Attorney Training for Rural Kansas Act, a targeted response to longstanding attorney shortages in rural communities. The legislation, House Bill 2595, establishes two complementary incentive programs designed to attract both law students and practicing attorneys to rural Kansas through financial support tied to service commitments. The Act reflects a shift away from short‑term recruitment efforts toward a pipeline‑based model intended to promote long‑term retention and community integration.⁸

Under the law, eligible law students at the University of Kansas School of Law and Washburn University School of Law may receive annual stipends of up to $3,000 to offset tuition and related educational expenses. In exchange, recipients must begin practicing law in a qualifying rural county within ninety days of bar admission and commit to one year of rural practice for each year of assistance received. The statute defines “rural” as any Kansas county outside the state’s most populous metropolitan areas, reflecting legislative findings that while more than forty percent of Kansans live in rural areas, only about twenty percent of the state’s attorneys practice there.⁹

The Act also authorizes student loan repayment assistance of up to $100,000 for licensed attorneys practicing in rural Kansas, capped at $20,000 per year for a maximum of five years. Administration of the program was ultimately assigned to the Kansas Department of Commerce following legislative amendments that removed direct judicial oversight. Supporters, including the Kansas Bar Association, have emphasized that reducing educational debt is critical to stabilizing succession planning in small‑town firms and sustaining private rural practice over the long term.¹⁰

Mississippi proposes statewide Rural Attorney Program

In the 2026 legislative session, Mississippi lawmakers introduced Senate Bill 2687, titled the Mississippi Rural Attorney Program Act, proposing the creation of a Mississippi Rural Attorneys Program within the Mississippi Bar. The bill would establish a statewide commission tasked with designating rural and underserved areas and recruiting attorneys to practice in those communities.¹¹

Under the proposal, participating attorneys would receive practice‑startup stipends to support the establishment of private law practices in designated rural areas, with full stipend forgiveness after five years of continuous rural practice. The bill also directs the commission to develop mentorship and practice‑support systems, reflecting a policy focus on long‑term retention and private‑practice sustainability, rather than short‑term placements. Although the bill ultimately died in committee, it signals a growing legislative interest in bar‑administered rural recruitment models that may reappear in future sessions.¹²

Dakotas continue to operate national model rural attorney programs

South Dakota and North Dakota continue to operate some of the nation’s longest‑running rural attorney recruitment programs, which are frequently cited as models for addressing persistent legal deserts. South Dakota’s Rural Attorney Recruitment Program, established in 2013, provides annual incentive payments to attorneys who commit to practicing full‑time in qualifying rural counties or municipalities for a five‑year term. The program is funded through a shared partnership among the state judicial branch, the State Bar of South Dakota, and participating local governments, reflecting a collaborative approach to sustaining rural legal services.¹³

North Dakota has adopted a similar framework, offering annual stipends to attorneys who agree to multi‑year rural practice commitments in designated counties. Retention data from both states suggests that attorneys who establish professional and community ties during their incentive period are more likely to remain in rural practice after program completion, supporting the theory that long‑term financial support combined with local integration is more effective than short‑term recruitment efforts. As a result, the Dakota programs continue to inform legislative and bar‑driven rural practice initiatives nationwide.¹⁴

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Sam Ellis is an associate attorney with Rincker Law, PLLC, practicing in the areas of food and agriculture law.

Cari Brett Rincker is the owner of Rincker Law, PLLC, a national general practice law firm concentrating in Food, Farm and Family℠ law.

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1. Ill. Sup. Ct. Comm’n on Access to Justice, Reducing Barriers to Meaningful Participation in Court Grant (FY 2026–27), https://ilcourtsaudio.blob.core.windows.net/antilles-resources/resources/f04c7c39-5253-4a57-8999-1b43dd03c304/2026%20Meaningful%20Participation%20Court%20Grant-RFP.pdf.
2. Id. 
3. State Bar Ass’n, Access to Justice Commission to Accept Proposals for Grant Initiative (Jan. 15, 2026), https://www.isba.org/barnews/2026/01/accesstojusticecommissiontoacceptproposalsforgrant.
4. Mary F. Andreoni, From Legal Desert to Oasis: Mapping the Legal Landscape in Illinois, Ill. Att’y Reg. & Disc. Comm’n (Mar. 2026), https://iardc.org/Files/From-Legal-Desert-to-Oasis.pdf.
5. Id.; Ill. Sup. Ct., From Legal Desert to Oasis: Mapping the Legal Landscape in Illinois (Mar. 2026), https://www.illinoiscourts.gov/News/1629/From-legal-desert-to-oasis-Mapping-the-legal-landscape-in-Illinois/news-detail/.
6. Illinois Supreme Court Approves Vision for Community Justice Worker Program, 2Civility.org (Sept. 25, 2025), https://www.2civility.org/illinois-supreme-court-approves-vision-for-community-justice-worker-program/.
7. New Program Looks to Address Lawyer Shortage in Illinois, State J.-Reg. (Oct. 2, 2025), https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/program-looks-address-lawyer-shortage-090455396.html.
8. H.B. 2595, 2026 Leg., Reg. Sess. (Kan. 2026).
9. Anna Kaminski, Kansas Hopes to Lure Law Students to Rural Areas by Offering to Pay Part of Their Tuition, Kan. Reflector (Mar. 25, 2026), https://kansasreflector.com/2026/03/25/kansas-hopes-to-lure-law-students-to-rural-areas-by-offering-to-pay-part-of-their-tuition/.
10. Proposal Would Repay Tuition for Rural Attorneys, Kan. City N. Online (Mar. 26, 2026), https://www.kcnonline.com/wp/2026/03/26/proposal-would-repay-tuition-for-rural-attorneys/.
11. S.B. 2687, 2026 Leg., Reg. Sess. (Miss. 2026).
12. Mississippi Rural Attorney Program Act, S.B. 2687 (as introduced 2026), https://billstatus.ls.state.ms.us/documents/2026/html/SB/2600-2699/SB2687IN.htm.
13. Rural Attorney Recruitment Program, S.D. Unified Jud. Sys., https://ujs.sd.gov/for-attorneys/rural-attorney-recruitment-program/.
14. Sam Holzschuh, Incentivizing Attorneys to Work in the “Legal Deserts” of Rural America, McAfee & Taft (Jan. 13, 2025), https://www.mcafeetaft.com/incentivizing-attorneys-to-work-in-the-legal-deserts-of-rural-america/.