Thomas Estabrook juggles law school, mayoral duties
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While most traditional law school students begin their training immediately after earning an undergraduate degree, that’s not the case for many enrolled in the evening courses at Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law.
Especially for the mayor of Bicknell, a small city of about 3,000 people in southwestern Indiana.
Thomas Estabrook said he had every intention of eventually going to law school, but it just didn’t happen in the traditional order.
At Indiana State University, he earned his bachelor’s degree in political science in 2008 and a master’s degree in public administration in 2010.
Then in 2016, he became mayor of his hometown. Prior to that, he served as a township trustee and noted that being an elected official has long been a part of his life.
After becoming mayor, other lawyers encouraged him to think about being an attorney and take part-time evening classes at IU McKinney.
“At first I thought they were absolutely crazy,” Estabrook said. “But, it kind of sounded good and it’s something I’ve always wanted to do and so I went up and started looking around a little bit and I had to convince my wife who supported me all the way. And here we are.” Estabrook said.
Estabrook, who is entering his third year of law school, said the biggest challenge has been time management. Indianapolis is a two-hour drive from Bicknell, so when he has to go to campus he takes business calls in the car.
He said he’s had to move public meetings around to accommodate his class schedule.
“The council’s had to move our regular meetings, and they’ve been really good about that. And so just trying to make sure that you don’t miss key things that are going on and making sure that the commitment level that I have for this job remains at the same level,” Estabrook said.
He added that he was always concerned he wouldn’t be able to do his job as well but he believes it has worked out.
Sometimes in class professors will ask him if he has experienced some of the things students are learning about like contracts, and he’ll offer up his own stories.
“It’s nice to be able to talk about some of these topics in real-life examples because a lot of traditional students just don’t have that experience,” Estabrook said.
Jack Lynn, a teacher at North Knox High School, said it’s nice to have a mayor who is so highly educated. He noted that many small town officials don’t have the kind of credentials Estabook has attained.
“I didn’t have him in class, but I knew him. I’ve known his family my whole life,” Lynn said. “He’s worked very hard at doing some really good things for Bicknell. And, he’s got a lot of things accomplished.”
One new venture coming to fruition in Bicknell is a memorial park that will commemorate the old football field and fly military flags to honor people who have died in war.
He said Estabrook, a Democrat, cares about the history of the city and keeps traditions going like the Labor Day festival, which has been held annually since 1969.
“It’s a monumental task to run a town of that size and keep the deteriorating things going, like your water works and different things like that to break down because of the age,” Lynn said. “I applaud the things that he’s been able to get done and worked hard to do them.”
Attorney shortage
One of Estabrook’s motivations for going to law school is that there is no longer an attorney in Bicknell, an increasingly common situation in small communities across Indiana
He said that while there are attorneys in the neighboring city of Vincennes, there is legal work to be done in Bicknell.
“There’s just not as many people, and a lot of folks think that there’s more opportunities in big cities. I would argue there’s just as much if not more opportunity for attorneys in small communities because there’s a lot of pent-up demand for legal services in small communities,” Estabrook said.
According to the 2023 American Bar Association Profile of the Legal Profession, Indiana has the 44th lowest number of attorneys per capita, at only 2.3 per 1,000 residents. The lowest number reported among the states is 2.1 lawyers per 1,000 in Idaho, Arizona and South Carolina.
But the shortage is much more severe in some rural counties, especially as a steady stream of baby boomers retire.
Greensburg Mayor Joshua Marsh has also worked to fill gaps in his community, as he graduated from law school shortly after winning the GOP primary in May 2019.
“I was one of the evening students and I worked full-time for the state of Indiana in two different capacities,” Marsh said. “And so my full-time job then became campaigning versus working for the state. I left my job at the state at the end of the year in 2018, to accelerate graduation and campaign full-time for mayor.”
The IU McKinney graduate said he uses his law degree almost daily. Whether it be from a negotiation standpoint or using his legal education for critical thinking, Marsh has found it useful in his role as mayor.
“The criticisms and the negative connotation that maybe comes with being a lawyer does weigh on you quite often,” Marsh said. “But (a law degree) is a great foundational knowledge for public service, just dealing with people and understanding conflict resolution, and working to find a solution that most are happy with.”
Estabrook said he wants to stay in his hometown of Bicknell and be the local attorney.
He said that he is someone in the community most everyone knows, and he wants to be able to help them and be a familiar face they can trust, especially when it comes to wills, estates and property issues.
“It was always about home,” Estabrook said.