In the past year, Shelby County, Tennessee, has a record of six bankruptcies per 1,000 residents, a rate that tops the nation. With none of the other 100 largest counties in the United States having more than four per 1,000, the difference is not particularly close, either. In their investigation of this phenomenon, MLK50: Justice Through Journalism, a nonprofit Memphis newsroom, quoted Professor Robert Lawless. “(Shelby County) is a tremendous outlier,” said Lawless. “It’s hard to think of a reason why (that is) except for legal practice.… I have no question that there are attorneys in Memphis doing the right things by their client.… And I have no question that there are attorneys in Memphis that are taking advantage of people.”

Read the full article on the MLK50 site.