The Rural Justice Initiative

The Rural Justice Initiative expands access to legal resources and representation for individuals and families living in New York’s rural communities. Through the University at Buffalo School of Law’s Access to Justice programs and partnerships with statewide pro bono networks, the initiative aims to address the unique barriers rural residents face in navigating the legal system.

By connecting volunteer attorneys, law students, and community organizations, the Rural Justice Initiative seeks to strengthen the delivery of legal services across the state—ensuring that geography is never a barrier to justice.

When Corrin Raynor ’26 sees the ways people in rural areas find themselves in legal trouble, she sees beyond the individual. Because, she says, people get caught up in economic and social systems that fail them—and only by addressing those larger concerns can real justice happen.

“It’s important to identify the issues people are having outside their charges,” says Raynor, who’s headed after graduation to the Broome County Public Defender’s Office in Binghamton, N.Y. “We want to be able to link them with the services they need, or get them into drug court or veterans court so their issues can be addressed.”

A criminology major as an undergraduate, Raynor has worked at the Legal Aid Bureau of Buffalo and at a small law firm in Binghamton, as well as in the law school’s Access to Justice Clinic. Ultimately, she decided public defense is her calling.

And returning to New York’s rural Southern Tier, where she grew up in small-town Owego, fits her idea of using her law degree in service to a community she already knows. “The community I grew up in and the community that raised me needs me,” she says. “I think I owe it to them to give back. Many people end up moving away because the economics or the services aren’t there. But the solution to that is not running away. The only way to fix those issues is to be present to improve them.” 

As a teenager and in his early 20s, Jake Pope ’27 worked at a local bar in Genessee County, doing everything from washing dishes to pouring drinks. He got to know the regulars, he heard their stories, and he saw how their lawyers sometimes fell short in the basics.

“In some DUI cases, the attorneys don’t always fully explain the process,” says Pope, who’s from the town of Alexander. “They’d plead it down to a traffic infraction, but their clients don’t always understand that’s not how it works for a second or third offense. It often leads to a cycle of trouble.” He saw other access to justice issues, too, such as when his friends’ parents divorced and had to travel many miles to find the right attorneys.

Now he’s planning to return to the area for a summer position with the Wyoming County Public Defender’s Office. His experience with the law school’s Criminal Justice Advocacy Clinic has further fueled his interest in public defense. And long term, he intends to settle in the area to practice. He has deep roots in the community, and the pull is hard to resist.

Not that he’d want to. “In a rural community, it’s really tight-knit and everyone knows everyone,” Pope says. “You’re representing your clients, but you’re also seeing them at the store. That’s inspiring, because you can see the direct impact you’re having on the community and I think that is important.” 

November 2025 - Building toward justice in rural counties