Long-Term Recruiting for Legal Deserts (Oasis)

By Jimbo Perry

I am honored to serve as the Executive Director for the Chief Justice’s Commission on Professionalism (CJCP). One of the major responsibilities of the CJCP is examining ways of making the system of justice more accessible to the public. Needless to say, finding ways to bring young lawyers to legal deserts is high on my priority list.

In October 2025, I connected with Christiana Johnson, Director of Student Engagement & Career Success at Campbell Law School. Christiana’s professional journey is a compelling story, one that may serve to help steer law students who want to help people to the communities where they are needed.

Please read about Christiana’s professional journey. See how she uses her experiences to help students remember why they went to law school law and how she helps law students find the right place to serve a community.

Where were you raised?

I was raised in a small town in Northern Minnesota: Cloquet.

Why did you choose to go to law school?

In undergrad, I interned with a legal nonprofit in Minnesota that assisted survivors of domestic abuse and human trafficking. I saw how the practice of law could provide tangible help to those in greatest need and felt called to do the same.

How did you do in law school?

I graduated first in my class, was Editor-in-Chief of law review and participated in a variety of student organizations, internships and teams.

Did you feel pressure to take a prestigious job?

Given my academic success, work on law review and clerkship, I felt pressure to take a prestigious job. To many (and at times myself), this seemed like the most logical next step. This pressure only rose as I neared the end of my clerkship with no job offer. While the fear of looming unemployment nagged at me, I knew that while working in a law firm was for many, it was not for me, nor was it why I went to law school. I stuck it out; searching, applying, and interviewing, and while there was a month or so of unemployment, I was eventually hired at Legal Aid of North Carolina (LANC).

Why did you work with Legal Aid of NC, and was your work consistent with why you went to law school?

One of the interviews near the end of my clerkship was at a general counsel’s office of an international nonprofit. The interviewer’s first question identified that really, I didn’t want to work in compliance and contracts, but directly with clients. She encouraged me to apply for legal aid organizations in the States, which I did. I applied nationwide, being honest about my passion for domestic violence, and eventually was offered a position in that field with LANC.

What is your current job?

Currently, I am the Director of Student Engagement and Career Success at Campbell Law School. I work with Campbell Law students to identify what they would like their career to look like and how they can get there.

Why did you take this position?

I accepted my current position because I know firsthand how hard it can be to stick to your “why” as you navigate law school, and I wanted to support law students as they identify their “why” and encourage them as they navigate the “how” of finding a job that aligns with their passion.

As a career counselor at Campbell, do you find there are students who want to fulfill their professional responsibilities to be concerned about access to justice issues?

Absolutely! Many students are concerned about access to justice issues and are hoping to directly combat them full-time or contribute to solutions through pro bono efforts.

Do you find there are students interested in working in legal ‘oasis’ (desert) areas?

Yes; many of the students interested in working in legal oases are from a rural area and have experienced the desperate need in those areas for legal representation. They hope to return to where they’re from (or a similar place) and fill the gap they’ve seen and/or experienced firsthand.

What can firms do better to attract these students to these areas? 

There is a plethora of ways to attract law students to rural areas; however, I’d encourage firms to show the student the needs of the local community and how they could build both a fulfilling life and a thriving legal practice there. While a full summer internship will give you more time to demonstrate this to them, utilizing holiday breaks is also an option.

If someone returns to their hometown for an internship, they are already likely to have family and other relational ties in that area. However, if they don’t (or they are new to your town), it is important to show them the opportunities to build meaningful community. Every small town is different, so this will look different across the state, but some ideas could include welcoming them by doing something non-legal (i.e., baseball game, lunch at the local spot) or incorporating community service events into their time at the firm (i.e., serving at a local food bank).

Even if someone has deep personal ties to a place, they may not have established professional ties. Often, law students realize they have much to learn, and they crave a mentor to walk alongside them as they start their legal career. Showing law students that they would have mentorship opportunities in a specific community makes that community more appealing for postgrad practice.

During their time at your firm, focus on establishing a mentorship relationship between yourself and the law student and connect them to the wider local legal community. You could ask your local bar to host a summer event to allow students to meet local attorneys (and vice versa). If your county does not have an active county bar, consider asking the district bar. You could also collaborate with a local legal aid office for a community outreach event and invite local attorneys to participate.

Please describe any creative ways our firms in small communities can improve in recruiting efforts. 

As someone who practiced in rural areas for several years, I have seen firsthand how stretched lawyers are in small communities. However, there are efficient ways to voice that you have opportunities.

First, contact law schools’ career offices. Some of these offices (Campbell for one!) try to stay up to date on where students have said they’d like to be located. If you reach out to law schools’ career offices to let them know that you have an internship or job opportunity, those offices would likely be happy to reach out to their students to gauge interest. Even better, engage in employer opportunities at law schools (i.e., on-campus interviews, table talks, panels, etc.) to increase your visibility with law students.

Second, use social media. Even if you don’t have support staff that can run this full-time, you can utilize a variety of social media (i.e., LinkedIn) to post job opportunities and ask your network to share opportunities.

Third, do your research. If you are in a small community, odds are you may not have many, but you are likely to have some individuals who are interested in or have enrolled in law school. Find out who those people are and offer your support. Even if they themselves don’t want to return to your small town, they will meet friends and colleagues at law school that they could share your information with.