Look around rural America and you’ll see small towns losing population and suffering brain drain. Look closer, and you’ll notice lawyers are aging and not being replaced by new graduates. Doing nothing is not an option, rural residents deserve legal representation. States are now experimenting with policies to incentivize rural law practice, but ten years ago, South Dakota was first. Based on interviews with rural lawyers, The Rural Lawyer shows how rural incentive programs can work, what it is like to begin a law career in rural America, and how rural lawyers can help small communities thrive.