Missourians living in rural communities may face difficulties finding lawyers and obtaining legal services, prompting The Missouri Bar to seek additional information about the extent of the issue.

The Missouri Bar, the statewide organization representing all Missouri lawyers, is collecting data amid anecdotal reports suggesting rural areas may be experiencing a shortage of attorneys. The organization is asking residents of rural Missouri counties to complete a brief survey describing their experiences finding lawyers and accessing legal services.

The survey is available by clicking or tapping this link through the end of fall. Individual responses will not be released publicly, and participants will remain anonymous.

Questions address whether respondents have experienced difficulty finding a lawyer, how far they would be willing to travel to hire an attorney, and whether they would consider using virtual appointments for legal services.

The Missouri Bar said the information will help its leadership evaluate possible policies and programs intended to address any attorney shortages identified in rural areas.

Shelly Dreyer, 2024-2025 Missouri Bar president, said concerns about access to legal services are being reported across rural Missouri, but the full scope of the problem has not yet been established.

Dreyer, who practices in Joplin, co-chairs the Special Committee on Rural Practice with 2nd Judicial Circuit Judge Corey Moon. Moon serves on The Missouri Bar Board of Governors and lives in rural northeast Missouri.

The committee was established in 2025 and includes more than 30 lawyers from across Missouri. In addition to surveying rural residents, the committee is conducting surveys and interviews with lawyers and judges who work in rural communities.

Dreyer said the committee’s work supports The Missouri Bar’s mission of improving the lives of Missourians by bringing together data and perspectives. The information will be used to determine whether rural Missouri has an attorney shortage and, if so, how that shortage affects access to justice.

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