BY KEVIN PLACHY, LAURIE POWERS, MERF EHMAN, AND KARI PETRASEK
As part of its ongoing commitment to expand pathways to rural practice and access to justice in small towns and rural communities, the WSBA Small Town and Rural (STAR)11 In April 2021, the WSBA Board of Governors established the Small Town and Rural (STAR) Committee with the goal of ensuring that the practice of law in rural communities is present, growing, and thriving. The STAR Committee consists of 13 members representing a wide spectrum of the legal profession including actively practicing attorneys from rural communities, new lawyers, law school representatives, members of the WSBA Board of Governors, and representatives of qualified legal service providers. Committee pushed forward several initiatives this year. From kicking off the inaugural Rural Practice Summit in June, attending the National Center for State Courts (NCSC) Legal Deserts Summit in Las Vegas, providing summer grants to law students practicing in STAR communities, and hosting rural practice information sessions and job fairs, steady progress is being made.
On June 7, the STAR Committee welcomed over 100 attendees from small towns and rural communities across Washington and neighboring states to the inaugural STAR Summit, held at Gonzaga University School of Law in Spokane. Keynote speakers included Washington Supreme Court Chief Justice Stephen C. González and Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Salvador Mendoza Jr. Attendees also learned about issues and opportunities in STAR practice and brainstormed solutions. The afternoon breakout sessions provided practical advice on attracting lawyers to rural practice, supporting diversity and navigating intersectionality in rural practice, effectively onboarding and supervising legal interns, and myths and stereotypes about rural practice. Participant engagement was strong throughout the day.
Immediately prior to the summit, WSBA Governor and STAR Committee Chair Kari Petrasek, Columbia Legal Services Director Merf Ehman (a STAR Committee member), and WSBA Advancement Department Director Kevin Plachy attended the National Center for State Courts (NCSC) Legal Deserts Summit in Las Vegas. This national conference focused on the shortage of legal services in rural communities throughout the United States and best practices for addressing the shortage. At the conference, the attendees employed Geographic Information Systems (GIS) mapping technology and their own state’s data about licensed legal professionals to better understand legal access risk indicators such as drive times to court, court locations, number of active attorneys within particular geographic areas, language access barriers, and broadband/internet availability. This technology provided a more comprehensive understanding of the access to justice gaps within rural areas in various states, including Washington.
Attendees also learned about financial incentive programs adopted by various states throughout the United States and their level of success in attracting attorneys to rural communities. Various other approaches to narrow the access to justice gap were also explored including licensed legal professionals who provide limited-scope representation to clients, new pathways to bar licensure, legal kiosks within rural communities, and different ways in which the Legislature and courts can assist in expanding rural practice. After two days of learning about the various approaches taken to improve rural practice across the country, the STAR Committee representatives came back to Washington not only with fresh ideas but with strong validation, because a good deal of the work the STAR Committee has already done aligns with much of the work being done in other states.
The STAR Committee was excited to launch its first annual rural practice summer grants to provide incentives for law students to move to rural communities for summer internship opportunities with private, nonprofit, and government legal service providers. Three $5,000 grants were awarded for summer 2024, enabling three law students to afford housing and other living expenses in STAR communities. The STAR Committee will review the success of this first summer, with an eye to expanding the program for summer 2025.
From left to right: Ashley Cummins, Kevin Plachy, Jesse Lamp, Erin Lloyd, Merf Ehman, Kari Petrasek, and Laurie Powers at the inaugural STAR Summit held at Gonzaga University School of Law in June.
In April 2024, the STAR Committee also partnered with Gonzaga University School of Law to host a virtual interview day, resulting in multiple new attorney hires and summer internship offers in rural areas of Washington. These types of information sessions and job fairs started in 2023 and continue to evolve and expand based on the feedback the STAR Committee receives. This year’s outreach included STAR Committee members Rusty McGuire and former STAR Committee Chair Hunter Abell, who went to Washington State University and Eastern Washington University to speak with pre-law students about rural practice. There are plans to visit Spokane Community College and Whitworth University this year as well.
The STAR Committee has also focused on outreach and education efforts, offering free CLE programming to WSBA members on topics related to rural practice. The educational programming has reached over 1,300 WSBA members to date. The July 2024 Legal Lunchbox™ CLE program, “Legal Issues Affecting Farm Workers & Agricultural Employers,” was developed in partnership with the STAR Committee and is expected to have over 1,800 attendees.
Rural communities within Washington state are experiencing shortages of legal professionals, and perhaps the most pronounced shortage is in public defense. The STAR Committee is working diligently to address the access to justice gaps and will continue to investigate more innovative and creative options to narrow the gap in rural communities throughout the state. The STAR Committee maintains an informational email list for those interested in this important work. If you would like to receive email updates, please email memberbenefits@wsba.org and request to be added.
SIDEBAR
A Note From the Washington State Office of Public Defense
The STAR Committee is engaged in the important work of ensuring that all communities around the state have access to legal representation. At the Washington State Office of Public Defense (OPD), we are drilling down on the problem as it relates specifically to public defenders—lawyers who provide indigent persons with their constitutional or statutory right to counsel.
You likely have heard about the lack of defenders across the state. OPD’s mission in this realm is twofold—first, to ensure that public defenders are available statewide and second, to ensure that they are resourced, trained, and ready to provide effective assistance of counsel. As directed by Senate Bill 5780, OPD is launching a new statewide Recruitment & Retention Team to help local public defense programs attract and keep qualified counsel.
This year the Recruitment & Retention Team is developing a Rule 9 internship program to introduce law students to public defense in rural and underserved areas of the state. Along with a paycheck and housing stipend for interns, the Legislature provided OPD with funding to compensate supervising attorneys for the time it takes to show a law student the ropes in their courts and communities.
OPD also is partnering with law schools to engage students to consider a career in public defense. Soon, we’ll extend outreach into undergraduate programs and even high schools. We are promoting a future where public defenders reflect a diversity of communities, life experiences, and racial, gender, and ethnic identities.
There is nothing quite like standing by someone and fighting for them in their hour of deepest need. There is little that rivals the high of a righteous win at trial or the honor of hearing the stories of the most marginalized members of your community. OPD is proud of our work, and we hope many others will find their way to this honorable profession. If it sounds like we’re veering into your lane, we hope you’ll partner with us on these important efforts.
LEARN MORE > For questions about our new Recruitment & Retention work, check out the OPD website at https://opd.wa.gov/ or reach out to Supervisor Liz Mustin at Elizabeth.Mustin@opd.wa.gov.
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Kevin Plachy is the WSBA Advancement Department director.
Laurie Powers is WSBA general counsel and a former member of the STAR Committee.
Merf Ehman is the director of Columbia Legal Services and a member of the STAR Committee.
Kari Petrasek is the WSBA District 2 governor and STAR Committee chair.
NOTE
1. In April 2021, the WSBA Board of Governors established the Small Town and Rural (STAR) Committee with the goal of ensuring that the practice of law in rural communities is present, growing, and thriving. The STAR Committee consists of 13 members representing a wide spectrum of the legal profession including actively practicing attorneys from rural communities, new lawyers, law school representatives, members of the WSBA Board of Governors, and representatives of qualified legal service providers.