The town of Mount Ayr, for instance, had six law firms in 1936 - but it is now down to one lawyer. He has been wanting to sell up but has been unable to find a buyer. Phil Garland, chair of the rural practice committee of the Iowa State Bar, says that the community organised the finances for doctors when there was a shortage of medics in the area. But he said: ‘Sometimes I think it's a matter of priorities, and I don't think the legal profession is put on the same priority level by the Legislature as physicians and teachers and some of these other things that we need in rural Iowa, too. In all honesty, I'm not hearing any citizens complaining about the lack of lawyers in their communities.’ Source: The Des Moines Register
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