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Rural Attorney Programs Roll Out in St. Lawrence,
Jefferson, and Lewis Counties
Published: June 24, 2026 at
09:00 a.m.
By: Press Release
from NYS Courts 3rd Department, Appellate Division
Rural Attorney Programs Roll Out in St. Lawrence,
Jefferson, and Lewis Counties
Rural Pathways and Rural Ready aim to address the
shortage of rural lawyers
Albany, NY— Across rural New
York State, communities face a growing crisis: a shortage of attorneys. In
2020, the New York State Bar Association (NYSBA) Task Force on Rural
Justice issued a report
outlining the varied causes of the shortage and the action items needed to
close the gap. In response, Third Department Presiding
Justice Elizabeth A. Garry worked with state court leadership and members
of rural legal communities across the state to develop two initiatives:
Rural Pathways and Rural Ready. Both are now well underway across New
York's rural counties, including St. Lawrence, Jefferson, and Lewis
Counties.
Rural Pathways: A
Unique Internship for Law Students
NYSBA's report
emphasized the need to build robust professional pipelines between law
schools and rural regions. Rural Pathways addresses that need by bringing
law students to rural counties for an immersive, eight-week paid
internship. Interns experience a wide selection of career tracks across the
private and public sectors. But the program is not only about work — it is
also about showing interns that rural regions are great places to live.
Local community members volunteer their time to introduce students to
everything rural life has to offer.
“To build a
successful pipeline, both components of the program are critical,”
Presiding Justice Garry explained. “Most law students simply do not know all of the legal job opportunities available in our
rural counties. A rotation schedule gives them a more complete picture of
their professional options. But the real ‘secret sauce’ of Rural Pathways
is the social engagement. For our interns to
picture themselves returning to one of our state's many beautiful rural
regions after law school, they have to be able to
see themselves living here. Pathways is built to
let students make friends, find mentors, and experience the many benefits
of rural life.”
Fourth Department
Associate Justice Scott DelConte, who helps coordinate the program in parts
of Central New York, Mohak Valley, and North Country, said: “We are pleased
to have two interns who will split their time between St. Lawrence and
Jefferson Counties and another two interns who will split their time
between Oswego and Lewis Counties over eight weeks. As a lifelong resident
of Central New York, I have seen firsthand the steady decline of rural
lawyers and the negative ripple effects on our communities. I'm proud to be
part of an initiative that has a real chance to help turn the tide. Local
judges and attorneys worked hard to develop a comprehensive program that
has serious potential to convert these law students into members of our
local bar.”
In total, the
program is in twenty counties and made up of almost two dozen interns. To
learn more about this program or to get engaged, please email Judd Krasher at jkrasher@nycourts.gov.
Rural Ready: A
Roadmap for Attorneys Looking to Relocate
www.nyruralready.com
Also launched
statewide is Rural Ready, an initiative aimed at practicing attorneys
looking to relocate to a rural region or newly admitted attorneys looking
for their first job.
“Let's say
there's a city-based individual who wants a different pace of life but
doesn't have much knowledge of, or many connections in, a rural county —
which makes relocating an intimidating prospect,” Presiding Justice Garry
explained. “Rural Ready aims to create a seamless transition for that
person.”
Rural Ready is an
easy-to-use website that offers two key resources. First, it provides
county-by-county legal job postings. Second, each participating county has
at least one Rural Ready “Ambassador.” These ambassadors are members of the
local bar who serve as a bridge between a relocating attorney and the
broader community. An ambassador can also be a source of valuable
information and insight about settling into a
county — how the schools are, who is a good realtor to use, and what it is
like to live on a particular street or in a neighborhood.
“The second
pillar of our mission is to 'advance equal access to justice.'" The
New York State Bar Association is committed to ensuring that all New
Yorkers have access to justice. Unfortunately, in most of the rural
communities in New York, there are too few lawyers
resulting in a justice gap. That is why we wholeheartedly supported Justice
Garry’s Rural Pathways and Rural Ready Initiatives. We are so pleased to
see that the initiatives are starting to reverse this trend. We thank
Justice Garry for her foresight in creating an initiative to introduce
lawyers to the opportunities and benefits to practicing in rural New York.”
To learn more
about this program, visit www.NYRuralReady.com
or email contact@nyruralready.com.
As NYSBA's report
details, this crisis is complex and requires multifaceted action. These
initiatives are important steps in the right direction as they are means of
connecting people with opportunities they might not otherwise have been
aware of. Moreover, thanks to these programs, word has quickly spread about
the need for additional urgent action.
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