Foley speakers: Some lawyers prefer the ‘legal desert’

PULLMAN — Students from Washington State University’s Pre-Law Society gathered in the Foley Speaker’s Room at Bryan Hall on Thursday night to hear from Washington State Bar Association President Hunter Abell and attorney Rusty McGuire about practicing law in rural areas.

The two met through the Small Town and Rural Practice Committee of the Washington State Bar Association. Committee members have visited schools across the state to talk with students about what it’s like working in rural communities and the challenges that come with it.

The National Bar Society released a study in 2020 that showed the “legal deserts” around the United States, Abell said. A legal desert is an area that would be considered underserved in the legal system, through a lack of lawyers or others. These deserts are often found in rural areas across the country.

“This is not just an issue faced in what people call flyover country, it’s not just an issue in Iowa or Alabama or Nebraska or whatever,” Abell said at the Foley Institute event at WSU. “It’s issues that really affect big states like Washington. There are a lot of legal deserts in areas that have a big centralized area, like in Seattle, which attracts a lot of lawyers.”

Rural communities like that of Ferry County in eastern Washington, Abell said, have less than one practicing attorney for every 1,000 people. Abell is an attorney at Williams Kastner, based in Seattle, with a focus on civil litigation and Indian Law, and grew up in Ferry County.

“I know the people who live up here and they are grateful to have professionals,” Abell said.

McGuire works in the Colfax office of Carpenter, McGuire and DeWulf and said when he first started practicing law there was a robust bar association, but it has shrunk since. He said rural lawyers often work long hours each week but the work is varied. Working in a rural area is not for everyone, but can be a good fit for those who might not like living in large cities.

Working in a rural community Abell said, comes with its pros and cons for each person. For some, working in a city is more exciting, but others might disagree.

“You can get the life taken out of you either way, but a lot of people are saying ‘I don’t wanna do that anymore’ and move,” McGuire said of urban work.

McGuire said working in a rural area also provided opportunities to get more experience working in all parts of the process. While cities have professional opportunities, rural areas can offer them as well. Abell said the current Ferry County prosecutor had been out of school about a year before being hired. The previous one had been out three years before being hired.

Abell and McGuire agreed working in a rural area also led to knowing the clients, from notarizing papers for them, assisting with wills or, in one case for Abell, the ownership of a pig. The smaller setting also means lawyers get to know the community and the people in them. McGuire said some of his clients now had been with the office for generations.

Abell enjoys working with the smaller community and sees people being grateful. Both agreed it can be a lot of work. McGuire said when he visits smaller offices he can be packed with meetings and walk-ins.

“I would really encourage you to join the profession,” Abell said. “Whether it’s in Seattle or in Pullman. It’s a tremendously rewarding profession.”

Kali Nelson can be reached at knelson@dnews.com.