South Dakota reservation county loses last practicing attorney

Tuesday, April 9, 2013  

A county within the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota is losing its last practicing attorney, The New York Times reports.

When Fredric Cozad came to work in Bennett County 64 years ago, there were six attorneys in Martin. When he retires there will be no attorney in private practice within 120 miles, according to the paper.

The paper did not say whether there were practicing attorneys based on the Pine Ridge Reservation, home to the Oglala Sioux Tribe, or the nearby Rosebud Sioux Reservation, home to the Rosebud Sioux Tribe.

Native Americans make up 60 percent of the population in Bennett County, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Get the Story:
No Lawyer for 100 Country Miles, So One Rural State Offers Pay (The New York Times 4/9)