PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — The University of Maine at Presque Isle and the Maine School of Law have signed an agreement that will allow UMPI students to begin their law degree one year early and work to increase the number of attorneys practicing in rural areas of the state, particularly in Aroostook County.
The Accelerated Law Pathway 3+3 agreement will enable UMPI students to apply for admission to the Maine School of Law’s Juris Doctor program during their third year of study. If accepted, students can then transfer to the Portland campus to simultaneously finish their last undergraduate year from UMPI and start their first year of law school, earning both degrees in six years instead of seven.
Currently the pathway is available to UMPI business students, but campus officials expect to expand the option to other programs such as criminal justice, English and history.
UMPI President Ray Rice, Maine School of Law Associate Dean for Admissions Caroline Wilshusen, and UMPI Dean of the College of Professional Programs and Education Barbara Blackstone held a press conference at UMPI on May 3 to discuss the campus partnership and its mission.
“Many professionals in Maine’s legal community have realized that there is a shortage of access to legal justice aid in rural areas due to some lawyers aging out of the field,” Wilshusen said. “Through our partnership with UMPI, Maine Law hopes to recruit law students from communities who need more lawyers so that they can hopefully go back to their communities and fulfill those needs.”
According to a 2016 report produced by the state Board of Overseers of the Bar, 80 percent of lawyers in Maine are located in Cumberland, Kennebec, Penobscot and York counties, with only 75 lawyers in Aroostook County. Out of those lawyers in The County, 16 were aged 70 or older, 20 were between the ages of 60 and 69 and only 22 were between the ages of 29 and 44.
To combat the shortage of lawyers, the Maine School of Law launched their “Rural Practice Fellowship” pilot program in summer 2017. The program pairs law school students with rural attorneys, in hopes that they will pursue careers in those areas. Two of the four students who participated last year spent the summer with Aroostook County attorneys and will return in summer 2018.
Wilshusen and representatives from the Maine School of Law plan to visit UMPI more often during upcoming semesters to give presentations on potential careers for law students and bring awareness of the need for rural attorneys in Maine. She noted that in addition to criminal and family law practice, many of the school’s alumni work in the business world or nonprofit sector and serve on the boards for local charity and community organizations.
“The “Rural Practice Fellowship” program has been successful thus far, but there are only funds for four students per summer right now,” Wilshusen said. “Through our agreement with UMPI we can have a more active presence on the Presque Isle campus and work with students who are interested in pursuing a law degree.”
The Accelerated Law Pathway agreement marks the first time that the Maine School of Law has partnered with one of the University of Maine System’s smaller rural campuses. The law school has signed similar agreements in the past with the University of Southern Maine and Husson University.
Rice thanked Wilshusen and the Maine School of Law for their willingness to collaborate with the campus and said he was hopeful that their partnership would give UMPI students greater access to the legal field and encourage them to return to Aroostook County to pursue their careers.
“Providing students with a seamless pathway into a law degree is a natural extension of UMPI’s efforts to help students graduate as early as possible with as little debt as possible,” Rice said. “The need for attorneys in Aroostook County practices is great and we’re pleased to partner with Maine School of Law to increase student access to their program.”
