When we talk about shortages of workers in certain fields in Ohio, the legal profession is not often mentioned. But according to Mary Amos Augsburger, CEO of the Ohio State Bar Association, there is an attorney shortage so severe here that it is jeopardizing legal rights.

“While those accused of a crime have a constitutional right to counsel, the legal needs of Ohioans extend far beyond criminal defense, and people need lawyers to help them with adoptions, divorces, starting a business and protecting their property,” Augsburger told the Ohio House Finance Committee. “Without action, too many Ohioans will continue to face these challenges alone.”

The problem is more severe in rural counties, but the bar association says 82 of the state’s 88 counties do not have enough lawyers to serve their communities. The problem is compounded by the number of attorneys nearing retirement.

For the bar association, solutions include expanding the Rural Practice Incentive program, strengthening indigent defense services, supporting legal aid funding and removing barriers for private attorneys such as the $75 per hour cap for reimbursement on attorney fees and modifying experience requirements for court-appointed counsel.

Lawmakers considering some of the bar association’s ideas must remember something else. It’s hard to address a shortage of workers in any field when those with the motivation and ability to both seek the proper education or training and do the job well so easily find options for better quality of life elsewhere.

Yes, the ability to navigate the system — or find help to do so — is essential in this day and age. If we want to find ways to increase the number of people willing to be that help in Ohio, it is also essential we reverse projections of a population loss of 675,000 in the next 25 years.

A great deal could improve for Ohio if lawmakers started working toward truly making it truly the Heart of it All.