The University of Nebraska College of Law’s Rural Law Opportunities Program (RLOP) represents an innovative and unique strategy to encourage pre-law undergraduate students to consider career opportunities that address the rural justice gap in the state.
During the Task Force’s field hearing in Oklahoma City in October 2022, Professor Anthony Schutz, associate dean for faculty, professor of law and director of RLOP, explained that it was created in recognition of Nebraska’s critical dearth of rural practitioners. According to Schutz, 12 of the state’s 93 counties do not have any lawyers, and the majority of the state’s counties have fewer than 20 total practitioners, with 22 counties having no more than three legal practitioners. [Nebraska Supreme Court. (2017, June 2). Number of attorneys per county 2017. Nebraska Judicial Branch. https://supremecourt.nebraska.gov/sites/default/files/Administration/nebraska-attorneys-per-county2017.pdf.]
Four undergraduate institutions in the state (Chadron State College, the University of Nebraska at Kearney, Peru State College and Wayne State College), identify and select undergraduate students using criteria developed in conjunction with the College of Law. These students must demonstrate a past or current connection to a rural place and exhibit strong academic potential. Those undergraduate students who matriculate into the RLOP receive an array of educational and financial benefits to incentivize transition to rural practice. At the top of the list of enticements is a full-tuition undergraduate scholarship. [Wayne State College. (n.d.). Rural Law Opportunities Program (RLOP). Wayne State College. https://www.wsc.edu/rlop. (accessed August 2025).]
Throughout their undergraduate experience, RLOP participants visit the University of Nebraska College of Law to observe classes, meet faculty and staff, rural attorneys and judges, see special court sessions and gain a critical understanding of the law school experience. Participants receive mentorship from both law school professors and RLOP-focused undergraduate professors, and the Nebraska State Bar Association works with the undergraduate institutions to secure internships for students in public or private rural placements. Program participants are entitled to presumptive admission to the Nebraska College of Law. [Wayne State College. (n.d.). Rural Law Opportunities Program (RLOP). Wayne State College. https://www.wsc.edu/rlop. (accessed August 2025).]
Since the program’s inception in 2016, 11 students have graduated from the law school, and as of spring 2025, there were 22 RLOP students in law school, along with approximately 70 RLOP undergraduates. As these students progress, Professor Schutz believes that a large percentage will enter practice in rural areas, if not directly out of law school, at some point in their careers.
Early indications are promising. Seven of the 11 who have graduated law school since the program’s inception are employed in rural places. Building on these efforts, the University of Nebraska Lincoln recently announced a new center to improve the training of attorneys that serve children and families in juvenile court, especially in rural areas. [University of Nebraska–Lincoln, College of Law. (2025, July 1). New center will address rural attorney shortage, support Nebraska children. Nebraska Today. https://news.unl.edu/article/new-center-will-address-rural-attorney-shortage-support-nebraska-children/.]
