Last full-time local attorney to close office
Staff writer
Brookens Law Office will shut its door at the end of the month when attorney Bob Brookens retires.
While the Karstetter and Bina office will remain open for half a day each week on Main St., Brookens’s retirement functionally leaves the county with zero attorneys in private practice.
County Attorney Joel Ensey will leave office in 2025 after choosing not to seek reelection.
Brookens attempted to sell his firm to various other attorneys but was unable to find a buyer.
“We’ve tried numerous times,” he said. “We’ve had a few young attorneys come in and not stay — not because they weren’t busy, but for various other reasons.”
New attorneys sometimes miss their families or simply don’t take to small-town living.
Kansas in general has a shortage of attorneys, which impacts smaller communities disproportionately. Many in the county now drive to a large city if they need legal work.
“When I moved here, there were two in Peabody, three in Hillsboro… four in Marion, and one up in Tampa,” Brookens said. “And we were all busy.”
Brookens fears for rural communities if they continue to lose their legal practitioners.
“It’s very concerning to me,” he said. “We need a couple attorneys in this county, minimum.”
Brookens is 74, and ready to retire. He and his staff have been spending much of their time contacting clients and offering to send copies of their old legal documents.
Once Brookens officially closes, he no longer will be allowed to keep the documents.
“It’s not like a grocery store or a hardware store, where you have all this stuff left and you can continue selling it,” he said. “It’s tough to leave. It’s an emotional thing. I’ve been here since ’78, and it’s been a grand place to be.”