By George Ledbetter
A program started at Chadron State College in 2017 to help address the shortage of trained legal professionals in rural Nebraska was a primary factor in helping Alliance native Samantha (Carillo) Stephenson fulfill her goal of becoming a county attorney.
Stephenson is a 2021 CSC graduate who completed a Juris Doctor at the University of Nebraska Lincoln and passed the Nebraska Bar Exam in 2024. She is one of seven CSC students accepted to the Rural Law Opportunities Program (RLOP) who have successfully completed law school and one of three CSC RLOP students practicing law in rural Nebraska.
Stephenson credits the program and her Justice Studies professors for providing the tools she needed to earn a law degree and begin her career as a Deputy County Attorney in North Platte.
“My experience at CSC benefited me in many ways while at law school,” Stephenson said. “Without the benefit of professors who gave me confidence to question the unknown, to search for answers and to enjoy the learning process, I would not have succeeded in law school.”
Now in her second year as a Deputy County Attorney in North Platte, where she has handled cases from traffic citations to felony offenses, Stephenson said RLOP was key in allowing her to achieve her post-graduation goals of passing the bar exam and becoming an attorney in rural Nebraska.
“Those future plans are now my present,” she said.
RLOP was created with impetus from the Nebraska State Bar Association to address the needs of residents of rural Nebraska, where as many as 30 of the state’s 93 counties have few or no practicing attorneys.
Legal services are vital for rural Nebraskans, Chadron attorney Matt Watson said in a 2024 roundtable discussion with CSC RLOP students and business leaders.
“Rural community members need legal services to have opportunities to open a new business, sell or purchase an existing business, and successfully start or transition agricultural operations,” Watson said. “Without access to legal services, these opportunities will vanish, and rural communities will struggle.”
Students who are accepted to the RLOP are provided with tuition waivers and provisional acceptance to the University of Nebraska Lincoln College of Law, according to Project Coordinator Kate Pope. During their undergraduate years, RLOP students sit in on classes during visits to the UNL law school, attend continuing legal education seminars with practicing attorneys, observe actual court cases, and meet informally with Panhandle area attorneys and judges.
Stephenson first became aware of RLOP while working as a student intern in CSC’s Justice Studies department. Acceptance into the program provided benefits she would not have otherwise enjoyed, including preparation for the grueling Law School Admissions Test.
“[RLOP] allowed me to have one foot in the door, so when I started law school, I did not feel unprepared or surprised with what was ahead,” she said.
That is the sentiment of many RLOP graduates, Pope echoed.
“The most common feedback I get is how well prepared they are for law school with the background they gain at Chadron State,” she said.
CSC continues to promote RLOP to current and prospective students through the college website, social media, and targeted recruitment of high school students who participate in activities like speech and mock trial, said Pope. Students are selected for the program based on academic potential, recommendation letters and personal interviews. Initially limited to accepting five RLOP students per year, the number has since been increased to 10, Pope said.