Illustration
by
Thomas
Fuller/SOPA
Images/LightRocket
via
Getty
Images)
In
March
2024,
I
authored
an
article
about
the
so-called
rural
desert
in
the
legal
profession.
The
rural
desert
is
a
reference
to
rural
areas
where
few
or
no
lawyers
live,
which
effectively
deprives
the
populace
of
legal
services.
These
deserts
are
on
the
upswing.
My
article
attempted
to
offer
some
solutions
based
on
technolgy
and
remote
work.
But
after
hearing
a
SXSW
Panel
discussion,
I
think
my
solutions
may
have
been,
well,
wrong.
The
Background
According
to
surveys,
14%
of
the
population
lives
in
rural
areas,
but
only
2%
of
lawyers
do.
A 2020
ABA
study found
that
40%
of
all
counties
in
the
US
have
fewer
than
one
lawyer
for
every
1000
residents.
Fifty-two
counties
have
no
lawyers,
and
another
182
have
only
one
or
two.
There
are
multiple
reasons
for
this
dearth.
Many
young
lawyers
simply
want
to
live
in
urban
areas.
They
value
the
quality
of
life,
cultural
opportunities,
and
better
access
to
health
care
that
they
believe
urban
areas
offer.
Many
have
professional
spouses
who
also
want
and
need
to
work.
Deciding
to
be
a
rural
lawyer
requires
finding
two
jobs
in
areas
where
opportunities
may
not
be
as
great
as
in
urban
areas.
Lawyers
also
fear
they
will
be
unable
to
make
as
much
money
working
in
rural
areas:
most
young
lawyers
have
significant
student
loans
to
repay.
Young
lawyers
worry
about
a
lack
of
training
and
mentorships
in
rural
areas
since
many
older
rural
lawyers
are
reaching
retirement
age
leaving
few
available
mentors.
The
declining
numbers
are
bad
for
the
profession
and
society.
Without
lawyers,
people
living
in
rural
areas
will
be
deprived
of
access
to
justice
and
community
leaders.
My
2024
Solutions
In
2024,
I
noted
that
most
of
the
proposed
solutions
focused
on
incentivizing
younger
lawyers
to
move
to
and
practice
in
rural
areas.
Using
financial
incentives
to
draw
lawyers
to
move
rural
areas
was
trying
to
solve
a
new
problem
with
an
old
way
of
thinking.
I
concluded
that
as
a
profession,
we
needed
to
focus
on
delivering
services
and
outcomes
in
rural
areas
in
new
and
different
ways.
I
proposed
things
like
having
lawyers
use
technology
to
serve
clients
in
rural
areas
without
necessarily
living
there.
Or
remotely
linking
young
lawyers
in
urban
areas
with
older
lawyers
in
rural
areas
for
mentorship
and
learning
experiences.
Or
providing
financial
incentives
not
based
on
moving
but
on
serving.
But
here’s
the
problem
with
my
thesis:
I
may
have
misunderstood
the
values
and
mindset
of
people
living
in
rural
areas
who
need
representation.
My
perspective
shifted
after
hearing
a
presentation
at
SXSW.
The
Mother
Research:
Community
This
possibility
was
brought
home
to
me
in
a
presentation
at
SXSW
this
week
entitled
Demystifying
Rural
Life,
A
Crash
Course
in
Marketing
to
the
Heartland.
It
summarized
some
extensive
research
by
the
advertising
agency,
Mother.
The
results
of
the
research
were
presented
by
Mother
Strategist,
Camila
Caldas
and
Charlie
McKittirck,
Mother
Chief
Strategy
Officer.
The
research
focused
on
young
people
between
18-35
in
the
rural
heartland.
The
researchers
visited
32
states
over
24
weeks
and
conducted
interviews,
an
800-person
survey
and
attempted
to
immerse
themselves
in
rural
culture.
One
of
the
key
findings
is
not
surprising.
People
in
rural
areas
feel
disrespected,
underrepresented,
and
misunderstood
by
the
rest
of
America.
They
have
a
chip
on
their
shoulder
for
big
business
and
urban
arrogance.
They
feel
judged
all
the
time.
They
are
angry.
But
that
anger
becomes
understandable
when
you
consider
four
key
factors
that
the
Mother
researchers
consistently
discovered
among
rural
folks.
The
first
and
most
important
one
is
a
strong
sense
of
community.
According
to
Caldas,
people
rural
areas
don’t
just
perform
or
give
lip
service
to
the
notion
of
community,
they
actually
live
it.
They
take
their
community
membership
seriously.
As
a
result,
there
is
a
sense
pragmatism
and
the
willingness
to
help
others
in
the
community
when
they
need
it.
As
Caldas
put
it,
when
someone
says
they
are
moving,
an
urban
friend
might
say
I
will
recommend
a
mover.
A
rural
friend
says,
what
day?
I’ll
bring
my
truck.
Rural
folks
have
a
commitment
to
the
community
and
to
each
other.
Life
is
much
less
transit
in
the
rural
community
so
there
is
a
greater
sense
of
investment
in
it.
And
importantly
for
seeking
solutions
to
the
legal
desert
problem,
you
can’t
buy
your
way
into
the
community.
You
have
to
be
part
of
it.
You
have
to
show
up
for
people,
You
have
to
demonstrate
you
accept
and
are
part
of
the
community.
You
have
to
earn
it.
Values
The
second
important
factor
the
Mother
researchers
uncovered
was
the
strong
sense
of
values
of
those
in
rural
communities.
These
values
lead
to
an
implicit
code
of
conduct,
not
just
a
badge
or
belief.
Rural
people
treat
seriously
the
need
to
respect
and
serve
those
in
the
community.
They
value
less
the
concept
of
career
and
corporate
ladder
climbing.
They
care
more
about
things
like
respect,
humility
(not
putting
on
airs
or
acting
better
than
others),
self
sufficiency,
hard
work,
loyalty,
and
resourcefulness.
They
feel
like
urban
dwellers
make
fun
of
these
values
and
belittle
them
for
having
them.
Creativity
The
third
factor
discovered
by
the
researchers
was
a
significant
level
of
creativity
among
rural
people.
Because
they
don’t
have
access
to
many
things
those
in
cities
do
or
have
the
same
infrastructure,
they
have
to
be
resourceful
and
come
up
with
solutions
and
even
fun
on
their
own.
The
lack
of
an
infrastructure
drives
ingenuity
among
rural
dwellers.
Most
of
them
know
how
to
operate
and
fix
equipment.
They
know
how
to
work
with
their
hands.
And
they
are
proud
of
their
skills.
Aspirations
The
final
factor
noted
by
the
researchers
was
the
difference
in
aspiration
of
rural
people.
They
don’t
look
up
or
out
but
at
valuing
the
more
simple
life
they
lead.
They
laugh
at
the
urban
mindset
of
climbing
a
ladder
that
leads
only
to
overwork,
over
stress
and
unhappiness.
Hearing
this
research
made
me
realize
a
fundamental
flaw
in
my
initial
conclusions.
I
Was
Wrong
When
I
re-read
my
previous
article
in
light
of
this
research,
I
see
how
wrong
I
was.
Rural
people
aren’t
likely
to
accept
and
trust
a
lawyer
who
they
view
as
perceiving
themselves
too
good
to
be
part
of
the
rural
community.
If
a
lawyer
is
not
part
of
the
community,
the
Mother
research
suggests
not
only
will
they
not
be
accepted,
they
won’t
get
business.
Even
if
that
means
the
rural
people
wont
get
access
at
all.
Remember
that
the
research
suggests
that
rural
people
are
creative
and
find
practical
solutions
even
without
the
urban
infrastructure’s
future.
They
would
feel
the
same
way
about
the
lack
of
lawyers:
rightly
or
wrongly
they
think
they
can
figure
out
a
solution.
Moreover,
rural
people
will
perceive
the
fact
that
a
lawyer’s
choice
not
to
be
physically
part
of
the
community
itself
reflects
a
different
value
system.
This
disconnect
in
values
would
lead
inevitably
to
distrust
and
resentment.
Trust
is
the
building
part
of
lawyer-client
relationships.
Without
it,
it
just
wont
work.
Refusing
to
live
in
a
community
for
all
the
reasons
identified—need
to
make
more
money,
valuing
the
perceived
higher
quality
of
life,
more
cultural
opportunities,
better
access
to
health
care,
even
the
need
for
having
job
opportunities
for
professional
spouses—is
antithetical
to
the
value
system
of
many
rural
dwellers.
Add
to
this
lack
of
cultural
fit
is
the
anger
that
many
rural
people
already
feel
toward
what
they
consider
an
urban
mindset—a
mindset
they
think
is
disrespectful
and
arrogant
toward
them.
That
doesn’t
bode
well
for
urban
lawyers
attempting
to
temporarily
parachute
into
rural
areas.
Given
the
Mother
research,
I’m
not
sure
we
can
solve
the
rural
desert
problem
with
technology
alone.
It’s
Going
to
Take
Something
Else
It’s
going
to
take
something
else.
Perhaps
financial
incentives
are
a
partial
answer
although
that
approach
is
also
not
consistent
with
rural
values
of
self-sufficiency
and
resourcefulness.
The
Mother
research
hints
at
another
solution:
education.
Instead
of
dismissing
and
disparaging
rural
communities,
we
should
strive
to
help
everyone
to
better
understand
each
other.
If
we
can
show
younger
lawyers
what
rural
people
truly
value,
perhaps
they
can
see
the
advantages
of
being
part
of
a
strong
rural
community.
Perhaps
that
will
incentivize
them.
Stephen
Embry
is
a
lawyer,
speaker,
blogger
and
writer.
He
publishes TechLaw
Crossroads,
a
blog
devoted
to
the
examination
of
the
tension
between
technology,
the
law,
and
the
practice
of
law