Rural lawyer shortage crimps Central Idaho counties 
by IBR Contributor
Published: September 29,2008
Time posted: 1:00 am
Rural northcentral Idaho communities facing a shortage of lawyers to work as public defenders or represent hospital and school districts have been forced to hire legal counsel from as far as 100 miles away.
Some blame this dearth of counselors on higher salaries offered in the state's larger cities that overshadow the more relaxed lifestyle of rural communities, where financial rewards may be less lucrative.
Others say hurdles such as limited cell-phone coverage in Idaho's hinterlands also may scare off tech-savvy legal professionals.
Idaho County Commissioner Randy Doman told The Lewiston Tribune recently, "Unless you're an avid outdoorsman, I don't know what would attract people about this place."
That's after Idaho County was forced to hire a public defender from Moscow, a four-hour roundtrip commute away from Grangeville.
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