Rural Ready Partnership Expands; Albany Law School To Manage Website

Appellate Division, Third Department Presiding Justice Elizabeth Garry, New York State Bar Association (NYSBA) President Kathleen Sweet, and Albany Law School Dean Cinnamon Carlarne announced an expansion of the Rural Ready partnership with Albany Law to operate the initiative's website, www.NYRuralReady.com.

Launched in January 2026, Rural Ready is a statewide initiative designed to strengthen access to justice in rural communities by connecting attorneys with career opportunities throughout upstate New York. The Rural Ready website is the center of this initiative, providing a one-stop resource for attorneys considering relocating to rural New York. The platform provides attorney job postings by county and connects interested lawyers with local county ambassadors who can provide firsthand insight into practicing law and living in their communities.

Presiding Justice Garry said, "Thanks to NYSBA and members of local bar associations throughout upstate New York, January's beta launch of Rural Ready was a success. Word continues to spread quickly so that more people know about this valuable resource. The handover to Albany Law helps ensure that this initiative will have staying power and evolve. Fully solving the rural attorney shortage crisis requires an all hands approach, but I am confident Rural Ready will have a meaningful impact. I thank Albany Law for stepping up to be part of the solution. I am also pleased to report that Rural Ready is already producing concrete results. We are advised that a position in Hamilton County is being filled all thanks to this new and growing initiative."  

Deputy Chief Administrative Judge for Justice Initiatives Edwina G. Richardson said, “The Rural Ready website reflects a beautiful partnership between the Unified Court System, NYSBA, and Albany Law School to help narrow the justice gap in our rural communities. I am deeply grateful to Presiding Justice Garry for her vision and leadership, to President Sweet for NYSBA’s continued support, and Dean Carlarne and Albany Law School for taking on stewarding this site. I am also thankful to our Justice Coordinators, whose ongoing work in gathering job postings and partnering with local bar associations and other organizations is vital to this initiative’s success.”

NYSBA President Kathleen Sweet said, "the New York State Bar Association is committed to closing the justice gap in rural communities. With the growth of the Rural Ready program, more New Yorkers will be able to access much-needed legal services in their communities. We are so grateful to Justice Garry and Albany Law School for their partnership on this important initiative.”

Albany Law School’s Associate Dean for Research and Intellectual Life Ray Brescia coordinated the development of the Rural Ready site on behalf of Albany Law and has been advocating for the adoption of different technologies to help address the rural access-to-justice crisis in upstate New York and across the country.  “Rural Ready is a fairly simply technological intervention—an interactive website—that connects law offices looking to fill attorney positions and those attorneys who might like to explore those opportunities and what it means to practice in upstate New York,” Brescia said.  “It will make this matching process a lot easier for those interested in possibly finding work in rural communities across New York.  This model could also serve as a blueprint for other communities looking to expand access to justice where it is often overlooked: the nation’s rural areas which have become legal deserts,” he added.

For more information about Rural Ready or to submit job postings, please email contact@NYRuralReady.com.