PIERRE, S.D.—The South Dakota Bar Foundation is one of five winners announced by the U.S. Department of Justice for its Access to Justice Prize Competition.
The Access to Justice Prize focuses on closing the rural justice gap, recognizing that rural communities face unique and significant barriers to resources and support in the legal system. The competition highlights the creativity and dedication of organizations working to expand justice for all. The winning projects represent actionable approaches that will help provide legal support for communities across America.
In rural South Dakota, there is a declining number of practicing attorneys, leaving access to justice out of reach for many citizens. The South Dakota Bar Foundation was selected as a competition winner for creating Project Rural Practice Hub, an online resource center that provides on-demand training, technical assistance and mentorship to rural attorneys.
The vast topography of South Dakota divides communities into population hubs and isolates smaller communities. There is no coordinated public transportation system across the state, and many citizens in rural communities must travel more than 100 miles one way to reach an attorney. Numerous communities lack adequate housing and childcare, particularly on South Dakota’s nine reservations. A lack of transportation and housing for both attorneys and clients and a shrinking number of practicing attorneys in the state make rural legal practice a daunting task. Many organizations also report that attorneys face a lack of mentorship in rural areas.
To address the mentoring needs of rural attorneys and to help retain attorneys, the South Dakota Bar Foundation proposes to implement Project Rural Practice Hub, a virtual mentorship and training platform designed to recruit, retain and support rural attorneys. The project proposes to connect legal experts with rural practitioners for education, technical assistance and community-building. Expanding beyond a traditional one-way knowledge sharing system, this Hub will enable rural attorneys to co-learn from specialists, collaborate with other rural practice attorneys, and contribute insights from their on-the-ground experiences.
Partners in this project include the South Dakota Bar Foundation, State Bar of South Dakota, USD Knudson School of Law, South Dakota Unified Judicial System and Destination Dakota Legal Careers.
“The Department of Justice applauds the prize winners’ dedication, bold ideas and steadfast belief in a better future,” said Christina Smith, acting director of the Justice Department’s Office for Access to Justice. “The winners are addressing access to justice barriers with innovative solutions that are informed by the needs and strengths of rural communities.”
Each of the five winning organizations will receive prize funding of $15,000 to advance their project. Learn more about the Access to Justice Prize Competition at https://www.justice.gov/atj/access-justice-prize. Learn more about the South Dakota Bar Foundation at https://www.southdakotabarfoundation.com.
