Oregon State Bar surveys the state's rural attorneys with a view to alleviating rural legal deserts

The Oregon Bar Bulletin recently reported under the headline, "Attracting Rural Lawyers."  The subhead is "Recruitment and Retention of Rural Attorneys Remains Critical to OSB's Mission."  Here's an excerpt from Cliff Collins' story: 

The ONLD [Oregon New Lawyers Division] held a discussion at its 2023 retreat on the issue [of how the Oregon State Bar can better support rural practitioneres]. Attendees included new Oregon Chief Justice Meagan Flynn, division and bar leadership, and some key OSB staff members.

One result was that the ONLD launched a Rural Project Work Group. As the first order of business, the group sponsored a survey last spring of all rural practitioners to learn more about issues facing them in the recruitment and retention of lawyers.

The division sent the survey to all attorneys practicing in counties the Oregon Bureau of Labor & Industries considers “nonurban” for minimum-wage purposes. This included 18 counties totaling 507 active, inactive and retired OSB members. One hundred forty-seven people responded, a 29% response rate, which is considered a healthy percentage, according to Catherine Petrecca, the OSB’s member services manager. Participants were given ample opportunities to provide open-ended comments, in addition to selecting responses from a list of provided options.

What the Survey Found

A majority of respondents expressed positive views about practicing in a rural environment. Although the survey’s executive summary did not identify names or locations of individuals who answered the survey, the Bulletin spoke with several bar members who practice in various parts of the state.

One rural practice trade-off--as one of the anonymous "responses to the survey noted--was that 'fewer people can pay for the full cost of your services, but lots of people need those services.'"

The story includes some other survey results: 

Survey respondents often mentioned lack of traffic, and ease of parking and getting to work as benefits of rural practice. 

* * * 

The bar survey found that some respondents remain pessimistic about recruitment potential and, even more so, about retention of new lawyers. One said: “Part of the problem with hiring is retaining attorneys. They work here for a year or two to get experience while they wait to move back to the larger areas.”

* * * 

Another outcome of the efforts by the ONLD was a list of recommendations made to the bar’s Board of Governors last September addressing rural practice. One of those recommendations was that the OSB extend its Loan Repayment Assistance Program — or LRAP — to include offering the opportunity to apply for repayment assistance to lawyers practicing in rural settings who meet other LRAP qualifications. The Board of Governors approved the recommendation, and the LRAP extension will take effect during this year’s application process. 

All of the bar members who spoke with the Bulletin supported the concept of the OSB’s expansion of the LRAP program to assist rural practitioners.

You can learn more about the Oregon State Bar's LRAP program as https://osbar.org/lrap.  

Another survey of attorneys--this one of all the state's attorneys, not only the rural ones, is reported here.