COLUMBUS, Neb. (AP) — A Columbus attorney chosen as the new president of the Nebraska State Bar Association says he hopes to address the declining number of lawyers in rural communities.

Tom Maul has taken over as president of the state’s largest association of lawyers.

Maul runs a solo practice in Columbus and works in the area of real estate, probate, estate planning and guardianships and conservatorships.

Maul received his undergraduate degree from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln College of Business Administration and law degree from the University of Nebraska College of Law.