Rural Practice

Drake Law School understands the importance of the rural law practice and plays an integral role in connecting students with employment opportunities to grow the legal practice across Iowa.  This includes rural or smaller communities that can offer both quality and lucrative professional work along with a balanced and satisfying personal lifestyle.  Read about thriving rural law practices and hear about Drake’s role in the Iowa Lawyer - Reaping What You Sow.

Drake Law Opportunities

Rural Access to Justice Initiative and Summer Stipend

Drake Law School is actively working to identify and place interested law students in rural or small practices for summer clerkships, with the hope that such relationships will develop into full-time employment in the future and provide succession planning for retiring attorneys or firms looking to expand their practice.  

Thanks to the generosity of the Lohse Family of Bondurant, Iowa, Drake Law School is able to establish the Rural Access to Justice Initiative (RAJI). Through RAJI, Drake hopes to reduce any financial barriers for a law student to consider a summer clerkship in rural Iowa. Drake can offer a stipend to a participating student to offset housing, commuting, or other financial obstacles to an otherwise enriching professional experience.  Students and attorneys interested in participating in RAJI can contact CDO or students can complete the application below.

There are a limited number of stipends available, which will be awarded on a rolling basis as applications are received. Applications will open when classes begin for Fall Term. Deadline to apply is May 20 of that academic year, after which time the Law School may need to decline to consider applications. Applications and eligibility criteria can be found in the RAJI Summer Stipend Application online or through the CDO.

Interested in Practicing in Small Firms or Small Towns? 

Hear the perks of practicing law in smaller communities as well as the ways in which city administrators are looking to bring attorneys to their areas in this video. Learn about the benefits, incentives, and opportunities of choosing an alternate path to a successful and satisfying career. Click here to listen to the panel discussion.

Iowa State Bar Association Rural Practice Committee

The ISBA Rural Practice Committee actively engages lawyers and law schools in the discussion of rural access to justice for Iowans, economic development of small towns, and succession/career planning for retiring and new attorneys, respectively.

Join ISBA on Facebook!

The ISBA Rural Practice Committee group is designed to encourage exchanges of information among law students, young attorneys, and rural practitioners. The goal is to facilitate the hiring of summer clerks or associates for rural practitioners planning to retire or cut back their hours in the near future. The overall purpose of the ISBA Rural Practice Committee is to ensure that new, young attorneys fill the gaps in rural areas left open by retiring attorneys to ensure that rural Iowans have ready access to justice. This Facebook group will regularly post resources, information and event details related to this goal.

Post Your Resume with the ISBA Rural Practice Committee and Let Employers Find You!

The ISBA Rural Practice Committee hosts a website where students interested in practicing in rural or smaller communities can post their resume.  The ISBA works with employers to connect them with interested students for future employment opportunities.  If you would like to add or update your resume, email Steve Boeckman at the ISBA.