Recent empirical work on "New Rural Lawyers' Perceptions of Learning the Rural Practice of Law"

Ashli R. Tomisich of the University of Wyoming has just successfully defended her dissertation for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Higher Education Administration.  It is titled "New Lawyers’ Perceptions of Learning the Rural Practice of Law," and the abstract follows:

This study explores how law schools can better educate students about the possibilities and opportunities presented by rural practice and prepare them with the skills to succeed in practice. This is accomplished through a qualitative case study exploring the efficacy of legal training in developing new lawyers for practice in a rural setting. An aging population and dwindling availability of jobs has increased the growing need for practitioners in rural areas, further accelerated after the COVID-19 pandemic (Davis, 2020; Fry, 2021; Peasley, 2022). While new graduates maybe willing to pursue a rural law practice, employers and graduates frequently note that graduates are not prepared for the skill-based practice of law (Gasson & Waters, 2018; Horne, 2022; Kidder, 2022). Many students reflect that law school remains too theoretical to be pragmatically helpful in their first jobs, particularly given a rural law practice's unique nuance and challenges (Herrera, 2019; Horne, 2022; Lune, 2015). Recent graduates report that practical skills training had the strongest positive impact in preparing them for the practice of law (Gasson & Waters, 2018; Lambert, 2019). Growing beyond the old law school model of “thinking like a lawyer” is crucial in creating learning opportunities for law students to cultivate necessary practice skills and develop professional identities. Grappling with complex and novel situations while demonstrating creative thinking is critical to success in rural practice (Kidder, 2022; Wandler, 2016). This study examines the utility of more practical training in law school, specifically for rural practitioners.