Rural lawyers, judges invited to complete Missouri Bar survey on legal services

In 2025, The Missouri Bar launched a Special Committee on Rural Practice to better understand the current state of legal services in rural areas. As part of this, lawyers and judges in rural regions of the state are invited to take a short survey and share about their experiences practicing and serving in these regions.

While there have been informal obversions about legal services available in rural parts of the state, there is insufficient reliable data to answer several critical questions. Collected feedback will inform potential policy and program recommendations to help ensure adequate legal services for all Missouri residents.

Shelly Dreyer, 2024-2025 Missouri Bar president, and Judge Corey Moon, a member of The Missouri Bar Board of Governors, are chairing the committee.

“Across Missouri, we are hearing real concerns about access to legal services in rural communities," Dreyer said. "While we know there are challenges, we don’t yet fully understand the scope of the issue. That’s why this committee’s work is so important—bringing together data and perspectives to determine whether a shortage of attorneys exists in rural Missouri and what it means for citizens.”

Lawyers can take the survey at SurveyMonkey.com/r/MoRuralLawyers. 

The judicial survey is available at SurveyMonkey.com/r/MoRuralJudges.

A similar survey will also be available to residents of rural areas.