Project Rural Practice

Tripp County will be the first South Dakota county in two decades to hand count ballots in an election, according to the Secretary of State's Office. (John Hult/South Dakota Searchlight)

Rural lawyer recruitment efforts show local results, but fail to alter urban-rural divide

BY: - January 15, 2023

In 2013, then-Chief Justice of the South Dakota Supreme Court David Gilbertson was quoted in The New York Times for a story on a shortage of lawyers in rural areas. Gilbertson helped spearhead an effort called “Project Rural Practice,” a coordinated effort to address that issue.  The goal was critical, Gilbertson told reporter Ethan Bronner. […]