Julie A. Degen-Sprague, president and shareholder of Sprague Law, P.C., described her experience with succession planning in Wilton, Iowa, in a May 1 article. She addressed common questions about practicing law in small towns and shared insights from her background growing up on a farm and entering the legal profession at an early age.
Degen-Sprague said that while Wilton and surrounding communities are small, they offer significant opportunities for legal practice. She explained that taking over her mentor’s established firm allowed her to merge her passion for rural life with the practice of law. “We were able to work out a purchase price and a payment schedule over time that would both allow Mr. Denning to receive fair value for his files and his outstanding reputation and allow me to make affordable payments,” she said.
She emphasized the importance of mentoring during the transition period: “The transition period where my predecessor stayed on and mentored me on what the law says, how to practice law, and also how to run a law practice (they don’t teach that at law school!) was invaluable.” Degen-Sprague also highlighted factors such as repeat clients across generations and minimal overdue accounts as key considerations when agreeing to succeed her mentor.
Degen-Sprague encouraged young attorneys interested in rural practice by offering advice such as seeking internships outside their hometowns, exploring loan forgiveness options for serving rural areas or indigent defense, reaching out to retiring attorneys, and recognizing opportunities as baby boomers retire from the field. She noted changes in local demographics: “By my count alone, we have lost to retirement or death nearly 50% of the attorneys in Muscatine County in the last 20 years. Cedar County has a similar story…we have lost between 60%-75% of the attorneys who were in private practice.”
She concluded by urging experienced lawyers approaching retirement to invest time mentoring younger colleagues: “Our duty as mid-career and experienced attorneys is to help those who come after us so that legal practice…does not disappear.” The Iowa Bar Association supports its members through resources aimed at professional growth while promoting diversity, equity, inclusion according to its official website. The association serves more than 6,500 lawyers and judges licensed in Iowa according to its official website, honors excellence through awards for contributions according to its official website, utilizes headquarters in Des Moines for operations according to its official website, is governed by an elected board from judicial districts according to its official website, aids professionals through education aimed at enhancing community service statewide according to its official website.