FORT KENT, Maine (AP) One of the U.S.’s most rural states is looking to improve access to lawyers for residents who live far from urban areas.
The Maine Senate on Tuesday unanimously passed a proposal from Democratic Senate President Troy Jackson that would authorize the University of Maine School of Law to open a satellite rural legal aid clinic in Fort Kent. Jackson, who represents a district in far northern Maine, said the move is about protecting “the rights of rural Mainers while creating opportunities for young people to pursue a legal education and set up a practice in the rural, underserved parts of our state.”
The bill would create a three-year pilot program designed to expand free legal aid access, recruit new attorneys to rural Maine and help students launch law careers.
The Senate passed the bill unanimously. It now faces more votes before enactment.
