1956 article recognizes still existing barriers to rural practice and accidentally makes a good point

It should perhaps surprise no one that many of the systemic barriers that plague rural lawyers are long standing. Many rural lawyers charge less for their services (in order to ensure that local residents can actually afford their services). But yet, young rural lawyers still have to contend with student loan payments, and if they decide to start their own firms, the cost of overhead expenses such as rent, wages, cost of legal databases, insurance...etc. And in many rural communities, starting your own firm might be the only way to actually get legal work. Rural America is dominated by small firms, which do not hire very often. 

This reality is not new, of course. And recognizing it isn't new either. In 1956, the News & Observer in Raleigh, North Carolina published a series of articles that looked at the income of lawyers and why it had not kept pace with other professions. The center thesis was that lawyers should charge more to accommodate their overhead expenses, and readers were cautioned against lawyers who cut their fees to get their business. 

A screenshot of the relevant section from the November 20th article is provided below:

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The article ignored that incomes in rural North Carolina are appreciably lower than its urban centers, a reality that was even more true in 1956 than it is today. If a lawyer raises his rates too high, he may find himself without the ability to get clients. 

But by ignoring this point, the author accidentally made a really good point. Rural lawyers have to charge less, all while not having appreciably lower overhead expenses. A smaller percentage of what they charge the client ends up in their pocket and thus ends up back in their communities. Simply telling lawyers to raise their fees is not adequate, more must be done to make practicing in rural communities not only financially appealing but realistic.

This article is a good reminder of how long these issues have persisted.