Friday, September 1, 2023

South Dakota Law Review Symposium on Rural Lawyers set for September 21-22

Read more here.  This event marks the 10th anniversary of South Dakota's Project Rural Practice (now called the Rural Attorney Recruitment program) and is also a decade on from the 2013 symposium that kicked off the conversation on these issues.  For that symposium, Bradley Showman (Class of 2014) and I co-authored Law Stretched Thin:  Access to Justice in Rural America

The schedule for the event is below.  

Thursday, Sept. 21

9-9:05 a.m.: Welcome | Knudson School of Law Courtroom
 
9:05-10:15 a.m.: Rural Indigent Criminal Defense Panel | Knudson School of Law Courtroom
Panel discussion about the roles of rural defense attorneys and with the issues that face rural defendants.
Moderator: Dean Neil Fulton - Knudson School of Law
Panel: South Dakota Sixth Circuit Judge Bobbi Rank, Attorney Brent Matter, Attorney Justin Bell, and Attorney Tom Sannes

10:30-11:45 a.m.: Rural Prosecutor Panel | Knudson School of Law Courtroom
Panel discussion about the roles of rural prosecutors and the issues that face rural prosecutors.
Moderator: Professor Maybell Romero - Tulane Law
Panel: Professor Quinn Yeargain - Widener Law, Professor Margaret Raymond - University of Wisconsin Law, Flandreau Attorney General Seth Pearman, and Associate Director of Advancement Elaine Yellow Horse – Thunder Valley CDC

Noon-12:30 p.m.: Lunch and Unsettling Expectations and Expertise to Address Rural Attorney Shortages | Al Neuharth Media Center

Dr. Michele Statz, from the University of Minnesota Medical School, will speak during the lunch hour about the rural lawyer shortage and address solutions including how to recruit, retain, and sustain rural legal professionals.

1-2:15 p.m.: How Other States and Industries Draw Talent to Rural Areas Panel | Al Neuharth Media Center
Panel discussion with attorneys from different states about what other states have done in addressing the rural attorney shortage.
Moderator: Attorney Amanda Kool
Panel: Professor Maybell Romero - Tulane Law, Dr. Michele Statz - University of Minnesota Medical School, Professor Lisa Pruitt – UC Davis Law, and Professor Anthony Schutz – Nebraska College of Law

2:30-3:45 p.m.: 10 Year History of South Dakota Project Rural Practice Panel | Al Neuharth Media Center
Members of the South Dakota bar will discuss the history of South Dakota’s Project Rural Practice and the ten years since its beginning.
Moderator: Attorney Kelsea Kenzy Sutton
Panel: Chief Justice David Gilbertson, Attorney Bob Morris, Attorney Pat Goetzinger, Attorney Rachelle Norberg, and Professor Ryan McKnight

4 p.m.: Keynote Address | Knudson School of Law Courtroom
South Dakota Supreme Court Chief Justice Steven Jensen

Friday, Sept. 22

8-9:15 a.m.: Professional Responsibility Issues Affecting Rural Lawyers | Knudson School of Law Courtroom
Panel discussion about ethical issues facing rural attorneys.
Moderator: Professor John Cook - William H. Bowen School of Law
Panel: North Dakota Supreme Court Justice Daniel Crothers, Professor Rebecca Feldmann - William H. Bowen School of Law, Professor Tom Simmons – Knudson School of Law, and United States District Judge Daniel Traynor

9-10:30 a.m.: Rural Community and Attorney Data Panel | Knudson School of Law Courtroom
Panel discussion about rural data including issues, tracking, and compilation.

Moderator: Professor Lisa Pruitt – UC Davis Law
Panel: Professor Aleks Schaefer - Oklahoma State University, Professor Andrew Van Leuven - Oklahoma State University, Professor Brian Farrell - University of Iowa College of Law, Professor Daria Fischer Page - University of Iowa College of Law, Third-Year Law Student Bryce Drapeaux – Knudson School of Law, and Professor Hannah Haksgaard - Knudson School of Law

10-11:45 a.m.: Teaching and Scholarship Panel | Knudson School of Law Courtroom
Panel discussion with academics about what teaching methods and scholarship will benefit attorneys entering rural practice. 
Moderator: Professor Hannah Haksgaard - Knudson School of Law
Panel: Attorney Amanda Kool, Professor Lisa Pruitt - UC Davis Law, Professor Melissa L. Kidder - Claude W. Pettit College of Law, Professor Kelly Collinsworth - Southern Illinois University School of Law, and Professor Marilyn Trefz – Knudson School of Law

Noon–1 p.m.: Experience from the Field – Rural Lawyers Panel and Lunch | Al Neuharth Media Center

Panel discussion with rural South Dakota attorneys about their practice and experience as a rural attorney.
Moderator: Volume 69 Symposium Editor Trevor Case – Knudson School of Law
Panel: Attorney Kelsea Kenzy Sutton, Attorney Willie Hustead, and Dakota Plains Legal Services Executive Director Thomas Mortland
 
1 p.m.: Rural Career Fair | Knudson School of Law: USD Knudson School of Law’s Career Services will be hosting a Rural Career Fair following the symposium.

If you are a rural law firm in South Dakota and are interested in networking with students after the conclusion of the symposium on Friday, email Teramie Hill at Teramie.Hill@usd.edu or register here for the “Stay in South Dakota” career fair on Friday afternoon.

The SD Bar Foundation sponsorship for the Rural Law Symposium is provided through the generosity of the Cozad Fund.

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