Kansas Supreme Court Justice Keynen Wall was surprised by the findings of his statewide task force investigating a lawyer shortage in rural Kansas. It determined that 47 Kansas counties are American Bar Association-defined "legal deserts," and over a third of practicing attorneys across the state are above retirement age, without enough young lawyers ready to take over.
This has created what the Kansas Supreme Court calls a "justice gap" in rural Kansas.
Chief Justice Marla Luckert described it as an "all-out crisis" during her State of the Judiciary speech.
One reason for this shortage is the difficulty Kansas law schools have had recruiting and retaining prospective lawyers.
"Applications from qualified applicants have steadily declined over the last 15 years," Wall told KCUR's Up To Date. "Those that are graduating from our Kansas law schools, we're losing 50% of them to other states."
The cost of attending law school also plays a role in creating the rural justice gap. In the 1980s, only 24% of Kansas law graduates had debt, averaging $48,000 when adjusted for inflation. Today, 93% of Kansas law students graduate with debt averaging $125,000.
"That burden is following on our law school graduates, and they have to service that extremely high debt load once they graduate from law school," Wall says.
Wall says that the extreme financial burden drives law students to seek higher-paying jobs in large metropolitan areas.
Many rural counties in Kansas also face a lack of access to health care, education, and childcare options. These factors often prevent young lawyers and their families from settling in rural Kansas, even if they receive financial incentives like debt relief.
While Wall says he wants to work with state leaders addressing underlying issues facing rural Kansas, he says "we're really trying to focus in on initiatives within our profession that can make the biggest impact."
Solving the shortage is vital for Kansas communities that often have less access to resources and funding.
"Having access to an attorney is oftentimes essential to maneuvering and working your way through the judicial system," Wall says. "(Rural Kansans) either have to travel greater distances at higher costs to secure that council, or they may try to maneuver the system alone."
- Keynen Wall, Kansas Supreme Court Justice
