An Indiana Supreme Court commission wants state lawmakers to help subsidize legal startups and a scholarship program for lawyers in underserved areas.

The Commission on Indiana’s Legal Future, studying the state’s attorney shortage, is made up of lawmakers, government officials, lawyers and law school educators.

The commission was charged with developing recommendations quickly if they involved legislative or funding needs — ahead of the General Assembly’s 2025 budget session.

Chief Justice Loretta Rush said policymakers need to understand the seriousness of Indiana’s attorney shortage.

“When you’re accused of a crime, sitting in a courtroom, you have a constitutional right to have somebody represent you,” Rush said. “So, I think we don’t want to end up in a situation that we don’t work towards it or ten years from now say ‘how’d this happen?’”

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The initial recommendations include a fund to cover some startup costs for small law practices in underserved areas; a scholarship program for students who agree to become prosecutors or public defenders; and student loan help for lawyers in legal deserts.

The American Bar Association defines legal deserts as counties where the ratio of one lawyer or less per 1,000 residents. Forty-nine counties in Indiana are legal deserts.

Brandon is our Statehouse bureau chief. Contact him at bsmith@ipbs.org or follow him on Twitter at @brandonjsmith5.