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Dean joins local law firm

Lawyers needed in rural communities

Practicing law in Sidney is a natural fit for Katie Dean.

Dean recently joined the firm of Sonntag, Goodwin & Leef P.C. as an associate attorney. The northern Colorado native is happy to practice law in a more rural setting than some of her former classmates.

"My family and my husband's family are really involved in farming," Dean said. "I knew I wanted to study law in order to help farmers and ranchers."

Dean said that one of the benefits of practicing in a smaller town is that she is able to do a lot more than several of her classmates who practice in large communities.

Other benefits to practicing in a rural setting include: access to experience in a broader variety of practice areas, accelerated career advancement, low cost of living and building stronger connections within the community.

Dean, who realized in high school that she wanted to practice law, received a bachelor's degree in agribusiness while attending Kansas State University. While there, she worked for a variety of agribusinesses, including John Deere.

The alumna of the University of Nebraska, Lincoln received her Juris Doctorate in Law, focusing on agriculture and transactional law. She earned her license to practice law in Nebraska in September.

More attorneys are needed in rural areas, according to the Rural Practice Initiative Committee of the Nebraska State Bar Associaiton. Across Nebraska's 93 counties, 11 are without an attorney and several counties have three or fewer attorneys. In the summer of 2013, bar association began the RPIC in order to educate second and third-year law students on the benefits of practicing law in rural areas.

Dean is a member of the Rural Practice Initiative Committee for the bar association.

"Twenty years ago, Chadron had 10 lawyers, Alliance and a dozen and now each just has two or three," said Howard Olsen, past president of the NSBA.

He said clients in rural Nebraska who used to find a lawyer across the street may now drive 50 to 100 miles to find one.

According to the NSBA Rural Practice Initiative, rural populations are in decline overall due to migration to cities and the previous generation of rural practitioners are retiring, leaving no successor for existing law offices.

"This effort is not solely for the benefit of the students," said NSBA president, Amie Martinez. "Attracting new graduates to rural areas is essential in ensuring access to legal services across the state, to keeping courthouses in rural communities open and to providing future leaders for many of these areas."

"I feel like I'm making a real difference for my clients," Dean said. "Instead of them just coming to my office, I feel like I am getting to know who my clients really are and just remember that you are making a difference in people's lives."

 

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