The Unified Judicial System and the State Bar of South Dakota are committed to assuring that South Dakotans have access to quality attorneys. The South Dakota Rural Attorney Recruitment Program provides qualifying attorneys an incentive payment in return for five continuous years of practice in an eligible rural county (population of 10,000 or less) or municipality (population of 3,500 or less).
Attorneys must enter into a contract with the UJS, State Bar, and the eligible county or municipality. Program participants receive five annual incentive payments of $12,513.60 per year (equivalent to 90% of one year’s resident law school tuition and fees)—a total of $62,568 over five years.
The South Dakota Rural Attorney Recruitment Program (RARP) was established in 2013.