Rural Law Practice in the News

Illinois Courts’ Access-to-Justice Grant Applications have closed

As July 2026 concludes, the application period for the 2026–27 Illinois Courts Access to Justice Improvement Grant Program has officially closed. The Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Access to Justice and the Access to Justice Division of the Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts accepted proposals from courts statewide through July 10, 2026, for initiatives designed to improve access to the courts for self-represented litigants. Eligible projects included self-help centers, improved courthouse signage, early resolution programs, and partnerships with public libraries.¹

The announcement also highlighted the Court Navigator Network, which connects court personnel, Illinois JusticeCorps members, Illinois Court Help guides, and other access-to-justice professionals. Even courts that do not receive or seek grant funding may designate a staff member to participate in the Network, creating a statewide forum for sharing resources, best practices, and strategies to better serve self-represented litigants.²

For rural practitioners, the grant program reflects continued investment in infrastructure and services that can directly benefit downstate and underserved courts. These initiatives support court-based resources that complement, rather than replace, private rural practice while helping improve the experience of litigants navigating the justice system.

Although applications for the 2026–27 funding cycle have closed, courts and stakeholders interested in participating in future funding opportunities should plan ahead. The next application period for the 2027–28 Access to Justice Improvement Grant Program is expected to open in June 2027, making it a good time to begin identifying potential projects and partnerships.

Iowa leaders convene to address rural legal deserts

In late June 2026, Iowa attorneys, lawmakers, and community leaders gathered to discuss ways to attract and retain lawyers in rural communities. According to the Iowa State Bar Association data reported by KCCI, nearly half of Iowa’s 99 counties have 10 or fewer attorneys available to serve residents’ legal needs, and 17 counties have fewer than five.³

The Iowa discussion reinforces a recurring theme in rural practice policy: the shortage is not simply a question of total lawyer numbers, but of geographic distribution, practice-area coverage, and long-term community retention. Rural residents may face barriers both in finding any attorney and in finding one with the experience needed for family law, real estate, estate planning, criminal defense, or agricultural business matters.

For Illinois practitioners, Iowa’s experience is instructive because it shows neighboring states moving from data collection toward convening stakeholders and designing practical retention strategies.

Rural public defense shortages receive national attention

In June 2026, the Deason Criminal Justice Reform Center at SMU Dedman School of Law described rural lawyer shortages as a constitutional and access-to-justice concern, particularly for public defense and prosecution systems. The Center noted that several states considered or adopted economic incentive and pipeline programs aimed at encouraging lawyers to serve rural communities.⁴

The report identified Iowa’s attorney loan repayment program for rural public defense providers, Kansas’ rural legal training program, and Nebraska’s educational loan repayment program for attorneys practicing in rural communities as examples of state-level responses.⁵

These developments are significant for rural courts because shortages in public defense and prosecution affect case timelines, victims, defendants, and overall confidence in the justice system. They also demonstrate that rural lawyer incentives are increasingly being framed not only as economic development tools, but also as constitutional infrastructure.

Indiana selects inaugural Rural Practice Academy class

In June 2026, The Indiana Lawyer reported that 15 lawyers were selected for the inaugural class of the Indiana State Bar Association’s Rural Practice Academy. The yearlong cohort will focus on building sustainable legal practices in rural and underserved communities through training, workshops, and mentorship opportunities.⁶

The Academy grew out of Indiana’s broader attorney-shortage work, including recommendations from the Commission on Indiana’s Legal Future. Indiana data cited in the article identifies 49 of the state’s 92 counties as legal deserts, meaning they have fewer than one attorney available per 1,000 residents.⁷

For rural firms, the Indiana model is notable because it focuses on sustainability, not merely placement. The program recognizes that attorneys entering rural practice need business systems, mentorship, and professional networks if they are going to remain in those communities long term.

New Mexico considers alternative licensing to address rural shortages

New Mexico is also evaluating whether licensing reform could help address rural lawyer shortages. In June 2026, Source New Mexico reported that two New Mexico Supreme Court justices briefed state lawmakers on rural legal workforce issues and discussed a possible supervised-practice pathway after law school as an alternative to the traditional bar-exam-only route.⁸

The justices noted that New Mexico has one law school, a predominantly rural geography, and significant poverty-related barriers to entering the profession. They also reported that four New Mexico counties do not have a single lawyer and that most licensed New Mexico attorneys who live in the state are concentrated in Albuquerque, Santa Fe, or Las Cruces.⁹

Tennessee Symposium examines rural justice gap and regulatory reform

The University of Tennessee Winston College of Law reported in June 2026 on its Orr Symposium, “Closing the Rural Justice Gap: Innovation and Regulatory Reform.” The program brought together judges, scholars, lawyers, and national experts to discuss legal deserts, rural attorney shortages, alternative licensing pathways, and the possibility of trained non-lawyer professionals helping to fill service gaps in underserved communities.¹⁰

The Tennessee discussion is important because it connects rural practice shortages with broader regulatory reform. Rather than focusing only on recruitment, the symposium considered whether the structure of legal service delivery itself should change to meet unmet civil legal needs in rural counties.¹¹

New national research reviews rural access-to-justice service design

A 2026 American Bar Foundation research brief on rural access to justice emphasizes that rural communities often have few or no authorized legal providers, that rurality intersects with poverty, age, disability, race, and other forms of disadvantage, and that limited broadband and digital literacy can restrict the effectiveness of technology-based legal services.¹²

The brief frames rural access problems as service-design issues, not just attorney-count issues. For rural practitioners and bar leaders, that distinction matters because proposed solutions may include better local partnerships, more accessible intake systems, non-lawyer assistance models, and service delivery methods that account for transportation, broadband, and community trust barriers.¹³

For rural practitioners and bar leaders, this research matters because better definitions can lead to better interventions. Accurate mapping can help determine whether a community needs loan repayment incentives, court navigator support, legal aid partnerships, technology investments, or new pipelines for private rural practice.

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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. Illinois Courts Invited to Apply for Access to Justice Improvement Grants and Join Court Navigator Network, Ill. State Bar Ass’n (June 1, 2026), isba.org/barnews/2026/06/illinoiscourtsinvitedtoapplyforaccesstojusticeimpr.
2. Id. 
3. Iowa Attorneys, Local Leaders Gather to Address Rural Shortage, KCCI 8 News (June 25, 2026), kcci.com/article/iowa-attorneys-legal-desert-rural-shortage-lawyers/71728642.
4. Public Defenders Will Benefit from New Programs to Curb Rural Lawyer Shortages, SMU Dedman Sch. of L. Deason Crim. Just. Reform Ctr. (June 30, 2026), smu.edu/law/centers-and-initiatives/deason-center/work/news/articles/2026-06-30-public-defenders-will-benefit-from-new-programs.
5. Id. 
6. Maura Johnson, 15 Lawyers Selected for Inaugural Class of ISBA Rural Practice Academy, The Indiana Lawyer (June 17, 2026), theindianalawyer.com/articles/15-lawyers-selected-for-inaugural-class-of-isba-rural-practice-academy.
7. Id. 
8. Joshua Bowling, New Mexico Could Consider Licensing Alternatives to Address Rural Lawyer Shortage, Source N.M. (June 23, 2026), https://sourcenm.com/2026/06/23/new-mexico-could-consider-licensing-alternatives-to-address-rural-lawyer-shortage/.
9. Id. 
10. Closing the Rural Justice Gap, Univ. of Tenn. Winston Coll. of L. (June 3, 2026), https://winston.utk.edu/2026/06/03/closing-the-rural-justice-gap/.
11. Id.
12. Rebecca L. Sandefur, Matthew Burnett & James Teufel, Rural Access to Justice: Key Research Learnings and Implications for Service Design and Delivery, Am. Bar Found. Access to Just. Rsch. Initiative (2026), americanbarfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Rural-Access-to-Justice-FIN.pdf.
13. Id.