Bill to Establish Assistance for USD Law Students

The legislature is begining to consider Senate bill 218 which would allow the Unified Judicial System to establish a program to provide assistance to USD Law students who would commit to practicing in a qualified rural area for a minimum of 5 years after graduation. The UJS would maintain a list of counties that qualify for recruitment assistance.

Students eligible for the program are those students who are enrolled at USD Law School or have been a resident of the state for at least 3 years and enrolled in an ABA accredited law school outside of South Dakota. If an attorney fulfills this requirement, the attorney can receive an incentive payment equal to 150% of the USD Law School resident tuition. For details on the program read the entire bill at the above link. For a KELO News interview with a former USD law student now practicing in a rural community click on KELO news link.

(This entry was originally written and posted by Candice Spurlin)