Beyond City Limits: Access to ADR and Child Client-Directed Counsel in Missouri’s Rural Family Courts

Authors

• Reghan Matlock

Abstract

Reba McEntire once sang, “Don’t trust your soul to no backwoods southern lawyer”—a warning that still echoes in today’s debates about rural justice and representation. The catchy murder ballad captures a story driven by dramatic family ties and a broken justice system. While the song exaggerates for effect, it taps into a realistic concern: an existing divide in access to justice between rural and urban communities. This divide impacts all areas of law, including family law—where concerns about confidentiality and privacy are heightened because small communities make it difficult to shield sensitive matters from public view. The divide is troubling, particularly in family law disputes involving children in rural areas—one of the most vulnerable populations in society.

Recommended Citation

Reghan Matlock, Beyond City Limits: Access to ADR and Child Client-Directed Counsel in Missouri’s Rural Family Courts, 2026 J. Disp. Resol. ()
Available at: https://scholarship.law.missouri.edu/jdr/vol2026/iss2/16