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ship with their chosen community and stay in the rural community for years to come.To qualify, the attorney would need to complete an application, be licensed in Mississippi, and have a desire to reside and open a law firm in a rural county in Mississippi.8 The attorney would also need to be in good standing in the legal profession. The yearly payments are a key part of the program, designed to incentivize and help attorneys start their own practice.The funding for this program would likely be a mix of state funding and funding from rural counties in Mississippi that need attorneys. This specific program imitates a program started in South Dakota over a decade ago. When South Dakota started their program, they had multiple counties without a single attorney. With buy-in on several levels from the state, individual counties in need of attorneys, and the state bar, the program has been extremely successful, boasting an 80% success rate. This means 80% of the program participants who started the program completed it and remained in the rural counties where they opened a practice. Over ten counties, previously without attorneys, now have attorneys serving them. Talks are underway with key stakeholders across the state of Mississippi about starting Mississippi%u2019s Rural Attorney Recruitment Program. Buy-in at the state and local levels will be key to implementing several parts of this plan, specifically the funding. Funding from other sources is also being explored. This program initiative has the potential to change the legal landscape in rural Mississippi.While the High School Pipeline Program and Law School Rural Attorney Scholarship Program are not necessarily being discussed yet statewide, these two programs show great potential as well.High School Pipeline ProgramResearch has shown that a person who grew up and has roots in a rural area will be more likely to return to a rural area to work. 9And the rural population is more likely to trust and welcome one of their own. This supports the use of a high school pipeline program. Nebraska has instituted a successful model in their state which they call the Rural Legal Opportunities Program. It is a unique initiative that targets qualified rural high school 8A %u201crural county%u201d would be concretely defined. Likely, a county with a population of 25,000 or less would be eligible to receive a Mississippi Rural Attorney Recruitment Program participant. Forty-seven (47) counties in Mississippi have a population of 25,000 or less, according to the U.S. Census Bureau 2023 Population Estimates.9Ryan O. Arthun, John B. Cromartie, & Christiane von Reichert, Returning Home and Making a Living: Employment Strategies of Returning Migrants to Rural U.S. Communities, 6 Journal of Rural and Community Development 35, 49 (2011).students interested in the law. The program incentivizes them to obtain their undergraduate degree and gain admission into law school with the ultimate goal of these students completing their education and returning to rural areas to practice after graduation. After a rigorous application process, a limited number of students would be accepted and receive free undergraduate education at a participating 4-year undergraduate institution, along with guaranteed interactions with law school faculty and staff during their undergraduate education, and free LSAT preparation help. If the student maintains a certain GPA and earns a minimum LSAT score, the student is assured acceptance into one of the state%u2019s law schools. While no discussions have been had with any 4-year undergraduate institutions in Mississippi, Nebraska was able to get three institutions in their state to sign on and cover the tuition expenses for the pipeline students they receive, stating they can do it because they use the program as a marketing tool for their own legal studies programs. The Mississippi Access to Justice Commission already offers a summer camp, Themis Law Camp, for high school students to show them what opportunities are available with a career in law. The summer law camp and the high school pipeline program could work together to help address the rural attorney shortage in Mississippi. Law School Rural Attorney ScholarshipsAfter graduating from a 4-year undergraduate institution and gaining access to law school, a law school rural attorney scholarship program would be the next logical step. The goal of this program would be to finance or help finance the law school education of uniquely qualified candidates who commit to practicing in a rural area after law school. This initiative would be designed to attract those with ties to a rural community at the outset of their legal education and would provide continuing support for those who completed the high school pipeline program. After a rigorous application process, students would receive a (hopefully) state-funded scholarship that would help with tuition. Similar programs for medical students currently exist that provide state-funded scholarships to medical students who commit to practicing in a rural area after medical school. While in law school, the students would be required to take courses that provide them with the knowledge and skills to set up and run a solo or small firm and other classes that would be beneficial to rural practice. Other mentorship opportunities with rural practice alumni would enhance and enrich their law school experience. Students would be required to sit for the Mississippi Bar immediately following graduation and commit to opening a practice or taking over an existing practice in a rural area. In return, they would receive a modest yearly stipend for three years, intended to ease the transition from law student to starting a practice. They would also receive extensive mentorship from The Mississippi Bar. This mirrors aspects of the Mississippi Rural Attorney Recruitment Program discussed above.Regardless of which program is instituted and in what order, the most important thing is that awareness is taking place. To solve a problem, the greater population needs to be aware that there is a problem. Then we can all work together to create and implement solutions. Legal opportunity zones exist in Mississippi. Let%u2019s work together to solve the problem.Heather L. Hall is professor of Legal Analysis and Communication and Director of Academic Success and Bar Preparation at Mississippi College School of Law.HallSUMMER 202513