By COLE REIF
Great Bend Post
Barton County Attorney Levi Morris stated his office has been
shorthanded on attorneys since last September. In the past 26 months, Morris
estimated the Barton County Attorney’s Office has been shorthanded half of
those months. Fewer attorneys are coming out of law school and those law students
graduating have plenty of options for jobs.
"The job market I came into was tough," said Morris. "I had somebody from KU (University of Kansas) tell me that 84% of the people that are going to have a law license in the next few months at KU already have jobs lined up. Right now, if you're a graduate, you're entering a market that is eager for you and desperate for you."
Morris said his office has an opening for an attorney that has been open since
January, and the issue exists with both the public and private sector.
"Somebody said the other day that the talking point is Johnson County and Sedgwick County are sucking them (lawyers) all up," said Morris. "This was talking about the Junction City area. Even private firms are finding it hard to bring in talent."
The open attorney’s position in the Barton County Attorney’s Office is listed
on the county’s website bartoncounty.org.