The State Bar Association of North Dakota Summer 2015 Gavel Magazine | Page 7

What are the challenges you see in the legal profession in general and in
North Dakota?
The greatest challenge I see to the legal profession in general and in North
Dakota is access to justice. Our sister states are struggling with this issue as
well. South Dakota is beginning to address the issue of access to justice by
subsidizing lawyer educations at their law school in exchange for a five year
commitment to practice in a rural area. Vermont has a similar project they
call their “Incubator.” Whether it be a monetary barrier or simply that there
is no lawyer near the client, these access to justice issues, I think, will only
increase in the future. Overcoming them is going to be one of the greatest
challenges for the legal profession. I believe that this is particul