Study reveals growing legal gaps in small towns with few practicing attorneys.
Many small towns in the U.S. have long been losing key parts of their communities, such as schools, grocery stores, and childcare centers. But another important service is also vanishing—legal help. In many rural counties, there simply aren’t enough lawyers to meet local needs. This makes it harder for residents to handle legal issues, especially if they don’t know when to seek legal help or have no way to access it nearby.
A team at Iowa State University, led by sociology professor David Peters, studied this problem to learn where legal deserts exist and how serious the gaps are. The study, supported by students Emma Bartling and Emily Meyer, took a detailed look at where private-practice lawyers are working and compared that to how many should be present based on population and likely need.
Rather than just count people and lawyers, the researchers used 2022 census data to estimate how much legal help might be needed in over 2,300 counties. They found that 11% of rural counties in the country were what they called “critical legal deserts.” That means the gap between available lawyers and demand was especially wide.
One example is Lee County in Iowa. Even though about 30 lawyers work there, the researchers estimated the need was closer to 55. With more people needing help than the local lawyers can serve, many problems likely go unresolved. This trend can especially hurt people facing time-sensitive or personal issues, like domestic violence or child custody cases, where access to help can make a major difference.
In some parts of Iowa, counties with few lawyers are located next to one another, making travel even harder for people in need. If the closest town also lacks legal services, people may have to drive for hours to get help—or not get help at all. For someone already dealing with a difficult situation, this added burden can be overwhelming.
Bartling and Meyer joined the research team because they plan to become lawyers and return to rural Iowa. They wanted to understand the challenges they might face and why so few others choose the same path. Their research didn’t just identify problems—it also looked for possible fixes.
One surprising discovery was that lawyer pay doesn’t vary much between rural counties with lawyer shortages and those without. The big pay difference is between urban and rural work in general. So giving lawyers more money to move to rural areas likely won’t fix the problem on its own.
Some states have already tried different approaches. South Dakota started a program where law students can get early experience in rural areas before finishing school. This has worked well there but might not work everywhere. Other ideas included mobile legal clinics and fellowships, but the team also found a possible long-term solution that could help fill gaps more widely.
They looked into a program where people with legal training—but not a full law degree—could practice on their own in certain areas, like family law. These legal paraprofessionals could help with common legal problems and still keep other jobs when demand is low. This would let more people serve their communities without needing to leave for years of law school.
This idea could be especially helpful in small towns where people already wear many hats. A paraprofessional might be a teacher or local business owner with legal training who steps in when someone needs help. States would have to decide how to set it up, but it could make a big difference in places where legal help is rare.
As legal deserts spread, states may need to act quickly. Without lawyers, rural residents face added stress and fewer options when problems come up. The legal system is supposed to work for everyone—but only if help is within reach.
Sources:
Iowa State University researchers find legal deserts across U.S.
More than half of rural counties are legal deserts, ISU study finds
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