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W W W. M A I N E B I Z . B I Z 19 N OV E M B E R 1 3 , 2 0 1 7 F O C U S L AW to solve problems for them. "I don't do patent law," he says, "but I serve the area's needs." In the next block, at Smith and Associates, Christine Smith also fi nds it rewarding to represent clients over the longer term on a broad mix of cases. "We have repeat clients," she explains," so we might meet someone because their son had a criminal matter you assisted with, but now they've got a house they want to sell, and later they may have a family member who's passed away and they've got a will to probate. Because there are so few of us, and because we handle so many things, you really develop those kinds of rela- tionships with people because you help them in many diff erent aspects … at's nice." Less nice is the challenge of recruiting attorneys to the fi rm, ideally a Maine Law alum, though so far without any success. As Smith keeps trying, she's also reached out to a few other law schools to see if any of their students would consider relocating to Maine and practicing in a rural area. "We want people to succeed, we will be supportive," she says, "and they can get a wealth of experience in a very short amount of time." at was defi nitely the case for Rutledge and Goodwin, now in their second year at Maine Law, where they've been telling classmates about their experience. As vice president of the school's new Finch Society (named for Atticus Finch of "To Kill a Mockingbird"), Rutledge is also helping to promote rural practice opportunities. He and his fellow offi cers got things off to a quick start by drafting a bill that would give an income tax credit to lawyers who begin and prac- tice full-time for at least fi ve years in underserved areas of the state, similar to the existing one for dentists. Much to their surprise and delight, the bill, which is being sponsored by state Rep. Donna Bailey, D-Saco, got the green light from the Legislative Council to be introduced in the next session. "It's insanely exciting," says second-year law student Amanda Silverman, president of the Finch Society. Bailey says she hopes to get bipartisan sup- port for the measure, adding: "We need to do what- ever we can to foster economic development in rural Maine, and that's what this really is." R C , M a i n e b i z s e n i o r w r i t e r, c a n b e reached at @ . and @ Statewide Prac ce. Local Service. 1-800-564-0111 | eatonpeabody.com Augusta | Bangor | Brunswick | Ellsworth | Portland P H O T O / J I M N E U G E R Christine Smith of Smith & Associates in her offi ce in Presque Isle. A lawyer's job in Aroostook County may be more relationship based, dealing with diverse aspects of law even within a given client's family.

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