HOOSIER ENQUIRER REPORTS ON RECENT SUPREME COURT ORDER AND FINDS REAL PROBLEMS

Indiana Admits New Lawyers, But Most Hoosier Counties See No Help for Their Growing Legal Desert

The Indiana Supreme Court's May 12, 2026, admission ceremony welcomed a new class of attorneys to the state's bar, with Chief Justice Loretta Rush presiding over the swearing-in of sixty new lawyers. While every new attorney should be congratulated for completing the difficult journey to becoming a member of the legal profession, the numbers behind the order raise a troubling question:

Who exactly will serve the vast majority of Indiana's counties that continue to struggle with attorney shortages and access-to-justice problems?

A review of Supreme Court Cause No. 26S-BL-147 reveals that the new lawyers came from only sixteen of Indiana's ninety-two counties. An astonishing seventy-six counties had no applicant listed in the order.

Imagine this: Marion County alone accounted for twenty-four of the sixty new lawyers—40 percent of the entire class. Monroe County supplied eight applicants, Hamilton County six, and the remaining counties were represented by only one to three applicants each.

The numbers paint a picture of a legal profession becoming increasingly concentrated in Indianapolis and a handful of urban and university-centered counties.

The Rural Legal Desert Continues

Large portions of Indiana, particularly rural communities, continue to face a growing shortage of lawyers.

Notably absent from the list were attorneys associated with counties such as:

• Vanderburgh (Evansville)

• Tippecanoe (Lafayette)

• Vigo (Terre Haute)

• Madison (Anderson)

• Delaware (Muncie)

• Howard (Kokomo)

  
  

Even more concerning, dozens of smaller counties throughout southern, western, and eastern Indiana saw no representation whatsoever.

For citizens living in these areas, finding an attorney willing to take a modest estate matter, a family law dispute, a guardianship case, or even a simple civil case is becoming increasingly difficult and expensive.

The problem has been discussed for years by judges, lawyers, and academics. Yet despite repeated studies and conferences on "access to justice," meaningful solutions remain elusive.

A Crisis Hidden in Plain Sight -- MORE LAWYERS WERE RECENTLY SUSPENDED THAN BARRED AND SO MANY LAWYERS ARE RETIRING OUT OF PRACTICE OR DYING EARLIER AND EARLIER.

Indiana's courts frequently speak about improving access to justice. Numerous commissions, committees, task forces, and conferences have been created over the years.

However, this latest admission order suggests that little is changing on the ground.

Adding sixty lawyers to the profession may sound encouraging until one realizes that Indiana has ninety-two counties and millions of residents spread across urban and rural communities alike.

Even assuming every one of these newly admitted attorneys remains in Indiana, there is little reason to believe many will establish practices in places such as Sullivan, Perry, Switzerland, Ohio, Pike, or Union counties.

Economic realities often drive new attorneys toward Indianapolis, large firms, government positions, or corporate employment. Student debt and the economics of small-town practice frequently discourage relocation to rural communities.

No Relief in Sight--Law School Rankings Dropping While Tuition Increases--Law School is a Financial Scam

The unfortunate reality is that there appears to be no immediate relief on the horizon.

Indiana has not adopted large-scale loan forgiveness programs for rural practice. It has not created substantial incentives for attorneys to relocate to underserved areas. Nor has it fundamentally addressed the increasing cost of legal education or the declining economics of small-town legal practice.

The result is predictable, AND yet, Rush remains in large and in charge...actually she isn't large at all and is quite short and without any impressiveness to her presence -- a clear DEI appointment by Mitch Daniels who despised smart judges, and only appointed dumb ones, like her.

Older lawyers in rural counties retire. Fewer young attorneys replace them. Court users increasingly represent themselves in complex matters involving custody, probate, property disputes, and consumer issues.

Judges and court staff are left attempting to navigate growing numbers of self-represented litigants, creating delays and frustrations for everyone involved.

More Committees Than Lawyers?

Critics may reasonably ask whether Indiana has become better at creating commissions and issuing reports than actually solving the attorney shortage.

The state continues to discuss access to justice while many communities effectively become legal deserts.

The issue is particularly ironic given the judiciary's frequent emphasis on diversity initiatives, modernization projects, and administrative reforms, while the basic question of whether ordinary Hoosiers can actually find a lawyer in their own county remains unresolved.

For many residents, the justice system may be technically open, but meaningful access increasingly depends upon whether they can afford to travel, pay urban legal rates, or navigate complicated proceedings on their own.

The Numbers Should Be a Wake-Up Call

The Supreme Court's order should not simply be viewed as a ceremonial announcement.

It should be viewed as a warning.

More than 82 percent of Indiana's counties produced no applicant in this admission class.

If this trend continues, Indiana's legal profession may become increasingly concentrated in a few metropolitan centers, leaving many rural communities with fewer attorneys, fewer legal services, and fewer realistic opportunities for citizens to obtain representation.

The administration of justice depends not merely upon courts and judges, but also upon the availability of competent counsel throughout the state.

The question facing Indiana policymakers is straightforward: Who will represent rural Indiana ten years from now?

At present, the answer appears increasingly uncertain.

This issue is likely to become more significant as older attorneys retire and fewer young lawyers choose small-town practice, potentially leaving many Hoosier counties with shrinking access to legal services and representation.

Final thought, who in their right mind would want to be Indiana lawuer after the court abuse and suspension of so many lawyer by this lawfare prone, sick, and misquided Supreme Court?