Ethan Saberhagen, left, participated as a 2024 summer clerk in the State Bar’s Rural Clerkship Program, with Slaby Deda Law Offices in Phillips. He is pictured here with Miranda Tichareva, a new associate with the firm.
Nov. 6, 2024 – It’s true that many Wisconsin counties – especially in the north and western parts of the state – are running short on those who can provide legal services.
“What I hear is that attorneys are shutting off intake because there’s so much more demand than attorneys,” says Paige Juel, the private attorney involvement director for Judicare Legal Aid in Wausau.
Juel is the chair of the Rural Practice Subcommittee of the Bar Relations Committee, which operates the
State Bar of Wisconsin Rural Clerkship Program.
“We have more work than we can find lawyers in this area,” said Deanne Koll, co-managing shareholder for Bakke Norman in New Richmond. “We turn away multiple new clients
per day because we don’t have the capacity to handle their case.”
While the shortage varies, of course, depending on practice area and county, boosting attorney recruitment is critical to addressing the legal needs of residents outside the urban and suburban centers of Milwaukee, Madison, and the Fox River Valley.
The shortage is particularly acute for defendants, who often must wait months for a State Public Defender appointment. Courts also have difficulty finding attorneys for guardian ad litem cases, says Bryce Schoenborn, a partner with Slaby, Deda, Marshall, Reinhard & Writz LLP, in Phillips. “When there are only a handful of attorneys, it is not uncommon for conflicts to make finding an attorney very difficult.”
Why Participate in the Rural Clerkship Program? What Employers Say
To help, the State Bar of Wisconsin Rural Clerkship Program, heading into its second year, is seeking employers for the 2025 program.
Both Schoenborn’s and Koll’s firms participated last summer as employers in the program.
The Rural Clerkship Program shows law school students what rural practice looks like and gives them an opportunity to evaluate if they are interested in a rural practice.
“Personally, I think many law students would probably seriously consider rural practice if they had an opportunity to see what it is really like,” Schoenborn said.
For employers, “having a person clerk for you can be a great way to get to know them better, while giving them an opportunity to get to know your firm better. If it is a good fit for both, it can lead to future employment,” Schoenborn said.
“This program offers small-firm and rural-based lawyers a direct line to lawyers who are interested in our area,” Koll said. “This provides a time savings in finding interested law clerks.”
More About the State Bar Rural Clerkship Program
The
State Bar Rural Clerkship Program highlights the benefits of practicing law in rural Wisconsin by connecting law students with employers offering a limited-term, full-time, paid summer employment opportunity. Employment typically lasts eight weeks, starting after the end of the spring semester.
The State Bar is currently recruiting students (1L and 2L) from Wisconsin and Minnesota law schools who are in good standing and interested in rural practice.
Which employers can participate in the program?
To participate, employers need only self-identify that the serve rural and underserved clients (that is, areas outside of Dane, Milwaukee and Waukesha counties).
Employers conduct interviews of their candidates by mid-February.
Employers treat and pay their clerk as they would a summer associate.
For more information visit
Wisbar.org/RuralClerkship.
A Very Real Impact
Ethan Saberhagen, a Marquette University Law School 2L, was a clerk for Slaby, Deda, Marshall, Reinhard & Writz LLP, in Phillips. Saberhagen applied for the program because of the breadth of experience the program allows. “It seemed like a great opportunity to really explore several areas of law in a place I had never lived before,” he said.
His clerkship lived up to his hopes: “I got some experience with defense from easement creation, real estate transactions, estate planning, civil/criminal violations, mediation, municipal law, among other fields. I got to see a lot of this researching and writing memoranda. I was able to write the first draft of a trial brief. I was able to draft some voir dire and witness questions as well,” he said. “I think one of the best things I was able to do was shadow the partners at the firm, getting to sit in on client meetings, mediations, and trials, to really see what practice is like.”
Another surprise to him: seeing how close the legal community is despite covering a wide geographic area. “The legal community around Phillips was much broader than just the county and the immediately surrounding counties,” he said.
He is now considering a rural legal practice. “To me, it is about working in a small town covering a broad field of practice.”
Why Attorneys Should Consider a Rural Practice
“There is ample opportunity in many underserved areas,” said Schoenborn. “You often have an accelerated path to becoming partner and being your own boss.”
Shannon Green is communications writer for the State Bar of Wisconsin, Madison. She can be reached by
email or by phone at (608) 250-6135.
“You can easily find a community and practice areas that work for you,” Juel said. “In our area, our county bar association is very robust.”
“Those who want work-life balance and a collegial bar with little competition for good work should be running to the west!” Koll said.
“I think that most people assume that you can’t make decent money practicing in rural Wisconsin, and that hasn’t been my experience,” Schoenborn said.
That practice areas are limited in rural areas is also a misassumption, according to Koll. “There are very large businesses, financial institutions, large agricultural operations, and other entities that have the same issues as Milwaukee-based entities have. We get the same – or maybe better – work here, and get to do it with a lower cost of living, recreational opportunities outside your door and with collegial co-counsel or opposing counsel.”
And there is the assumption that there is nothing to do outside of work. “I like to spend time outdoors, hunting, fishing, camping, etc., so I feel as though there is a lot to do. I can still travel to larger cities for games, concerts, and things like that when I want to,” said Schoenborn.
Another aspect to consider: the lifestyle is also flexible. “I am married with kids, so having flexibility in my schedule is invaluable,” he said.
“A person can do very well for themselves running a general practice in rural Wisconsin,” Schoenborn said.
