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Legal Deserts are Growing in Indiana, Legal Blogs Could Be of Help

January 4, 2023

While the demand for legal services is growing in Indiana, the number of “legal deserts” in Indiana has also been growing.

A 2020 report by the American Bar Association found there were around 2.3 attorneys available per 1,000 Hoosiers statewide, but 40 of the state’s 92 counties had fewer than one lawyer per 1,000 inhabitants.

State bars have looked at solutions, time again, to get more lawyers in rural areas. They haven’t been too successful.

Rather than benefits not seen as enough to lawyers in an effort to get lawyers out of the cites, there needs to be some way for lawyers to earn a decent living in these areas.

With less people, it’s going to be hard to compete with the earnings of lawyers in urban areas – even less earnings that take into account a lower cost of living.

But what if there were a way for lawyers in rural areas to do work for people around the state without having to travel around the state.

With legal blogging, lawyers can establish themselves, statewide, as a trusted and reliable authority in niches of the law. Maybe even niches not being covered at all – or at least blogged about.

Most clients don’t need to nor want to come into a lawyer’s office. Jumping on a Zoom call and getting the legal work down online works great for them.

Sure, there are some areas of the law that require a court appearance. The lawyer in the rural area can decide if the want to travel and make that clear in their online presence.

What we get are lawyers in rural areas. Lawyers who understand general principals of the law who can at least give people general direction on how they can get the legal services they need.

There’s little chance today that a general practice lawyer in a rural area is going to be able to cover all areas of the law anyway.

And in areas such as bankruptcy, family law, workers comp and the like, many lawyers in rural areas would be willing to travel 90 or 100 miles for hearings. I did, while practicing in Wisconsin for 17 years.

LexBlog would be honored to work with any state bar to give lawyers blogs and train them on to blog to get business. We could also get them on a network which would build their search presence.

Imagine having 12 areas of the law covered in 6 or 7 areas of the state. You’d have lawyers in rural areas and a growing network of legal information for the state.

Interested? Let me know. I’ll contact a few bars as well.