Working Collaboratively to Increase Rural Access to Justice
The core of LSAC’s mission is to advance law and justice through promoting access to legal education. This commitment extends to all individuals and communities including those that are geographically situated in rural and remote areas.
In the last decade, the legal education ecosystem has increased efforts to address the unique access to justice challenges in rural areas. A number of law schools have launched or expanded initiatives to recruit students from rural areas, prepare students to address the legal needs of rural residents, and support graduates as they transition into rural legal practice. But there is still much more to be done, and it cannot be done by any one part of the legal ecosystem alone.
LSAC is working together with the Association of American Law Schools (AALS) and key stakeholders in the legal community, including chief justices, law schools, tribal courts, state and local bar associations, national and community organizations, and others to help further the efforts to advance rural access to justice.
Rural Access to Justice Work Group
LSAC’s work on rural access to justice is supported by the LSAC Rural Access to Justice Work Group, composed of leaders, faculty, and staff from law schools. The work group, chaired by Dean Rebecca Zietlow of the University of Toledo College of Law and including faculty and administrators from law schools across the United States and Canada, examines challenges and opportunities affecting access to justice in rural communities, with a focus on how LSAC programs and services can help strengthen the pathway for individuals interested in pursuing rural legal practice.
Survey of Existing Law School Initiatives
To help inform and accelerate this collaborative effort, we have launched the first-ever comprehensive research effort on law school initiatives to address access to justice needs in rural areas. The survey is designed to collect information about initiatives that law schools are involved in that encourage, prepare, or support students interested in rural legal practice or who come from rural areas.
The result of this survey will be a comprehensive inventory of law school initiatives including how schools are training the next generation of lawyers in rural areas and improving legal services for rural populations through legal education.
2026 National Rural Access to Justice Convening
LSAC, AALS, and other organizations are organizing a strategic convening on November 6-7, hosted by the University of Nebraska College of Law.
The Rural Access to Justice Convening will bring together law schools, chief justices of state and tribal courts, and key partners in the legal community from across the United States and Canada to collaboratively develop practical, actionable steps to address the most urgent access‑to‑justice challenges facing rural communities. The aim is to focus on concrete solutions and partnerships ready for near‑term implementation, while planning for long-term investment in grappling with these issues.
When: November 6-7, 2026
Where: University of Nebraska College of Law, Lincoln, Nebraska
Who: Law Schools, State and Tribal Courts, and Key Stakeholders, by invitation
Why It Matters
Research consistently shows that rural communities across the United States and Canada face some of the greatest challenges in securing legal representation and access to justice in the nation.
- 94% of civil legal issues of low-income rural households go unresolved each year
- More than half of all rural counties in America are considered "legal deserts," with few or no lawyers available to serve residents
- The percentage of households living below the national poverty level is 30% higher among rural communities than the national average, making it harder for rural households to afford legal representation
- Rural residents often have to travel long distances to towns or cities, making legal services less available and more expensive to access
- Rural communities typically have lower broadband coverage, making virtual legal services less accessible