The effort to mitigate Indiana's pressing lawyer shortage is gaining traction, led by the state's high-ranking legal officials and backed by research indicating wide-reaching consequences for residents. WISH-TV reports that the Commission on Indiana’s Legal Future, set in motion in early April by Indiana Supreme Court Chief Justice Loretta Rush, is undertaking a major review of the state's legal system. A mere 2.3 attorneys are available per 1,000 residents, placing Indiana among the least serviced states in the nation, with 49 of its 92 counties.
"It's to the point that a lot of people don't realize they have a legal problem, so they don't even know to go fight it because there's no one in their community to talk to and ask what they can do. In that case, the system crushes them,"Justin Forkner, the Indiana Supreme Court's Chief Administrative Officer, told WRTV.
The Commission's co-chairs, Indiana Court of Appeals Judge Nancy Vaidik and Forkner himself, are helming the review that includes input from state lawmakers and various advocacy groups. Their work is focused on understanding the depth of the lawyer drought and proposing viable solutions. Such solutions will target bolstering legal representation across the state, particularly in those counties where legal aid is most sparse, providing hope that the gulf between legal needs and services offered can be bridged effectively.
