WA Legislature funds UW LRAP in the 2007 Budget!

On April 22 the Washington State Legislature passed the 2007-09 budget that includes $500,000 for the already established Loan Repayment Assistance Program endowment at the University of Washington. Half of this amount will go straight to the endowment and the other half is in matching funds and is contingent on a private sector match. The money will be used to help Law School graduates who enter public interest legal work pay back their educational loans. Representative Jeannie Darneille championed this budget item and, on behalf of all present and future UW Law Students who hope to serve the public good, PILA thanks her profusely.

The legislation has the support of King County Prosecutor Norm Maleng, UW President Mark Emmert as well as local legal aid organizations and the UW Graduate Student Senate.

To find out more about the legislation please email Jason Sykes.

LOAN REPAYMENT ASSISTANCE PROGRAM

What is a loan repayment assistance program (LRAP)?
In response to the issue of staggeringly high debt loads, a number of law schools have developed solutions for relieving the debt burden of law graduates who enter public interest careers, including loan repayment assistance programs (LRAPs). In most cases, this aid is given to graduates working in the public interest sector, government, or other lower-paying legal fields in the form of a forgivable loan to help them repay their annual educational debt. Upon completion of the required service obligation, the LRAP administrator will forgive or cancel these loans to program participants. Most LRAPs contain limits on the amount of income a recipient can earn while participating in such a program. By providing much-needed assistance to these public service lawyers, LRAPs help public service employers attract and retain gifted and committed young lawyers, which in turn benefits the communities in which they live.

Why does UW need an LRAP?
Many of today's UW Law School students will graduate owing in excess of $70,000 in undergraduate and law school loans. For graduates following the standard 10-year repayment schedule, this results in monthly payments of almost $1000 for 10 years following graduation.

Graduates who aspire to pursue public service careers are faced with unique challenges, as they attempt to secure the means to meet their monthly educational loan obligations while facing the prospect of earning traditionally lower salaries. With the median starting public interest salary under $40,000 (compared to $90,000 at private firms) these huge debts bar most graduates from pursuing public service legal jobs. Since 1975, the share of new lawyers who entered public-interest fields has declined from 5.4 % to 2.9 %. A recent study found that 73.5% of UW Law School students are less inclined to seek a public interest or govenment position due to their educational debt load. Among those graduates who do take such positions, many - when faced with major life decisions such as starting a family - are forced to leave after two to three years of employment.

Public interest employers are having trouble finding new attorneys. According to a recent American Bar Association Study, 68% of public interest employers have difficulty recruiting the attorneys they need and 62% have difficulties retaining experienced attorneys. About 90% of these employers cite both low salaries and educational debt as the largest factors contributing to these problems.

Access to civil legal aid is a very real problem in Washington State. On a statewide basis about 13.2 percent of Washington State's Census-based population is low-income. More than three-quarters of all low-income households in Washington experience at least one civil legal problem each year. Low-income people face more than 85 percent of their legal problems without help from an attorney.

When law graduates are unable to pursue public service legal careers due to high educational debt burdens, the consequences to society and the profession are significant. The University of Washington School of Law's Public Interest Law Association believes that an LRAP is the best way to address the financial needs of graduates and the legal needs of the State.

PILA is working hard to create an LRAP
PILA encourages students to develop a lifelong commitment to working on behalf of under-represented individuals, communities and causes. We believe that students, attorneys and law schools all have a responsibility to give back to the community. Law Schools, in particular, have an obligation not only to support students' public interest work but to promote it as well.

PILA believes that a loan repayment assistance program is vitally needed at UW Law School. An LRAP is one of the best ways a law school can demonstrate its commitment to public interest work and can also serve as a valuable recruitment tool by communicating to potential applicants a school's dedication to public service. Conversely, without an LRAP, prospective students who are considering entering public interest law upon graduation may question whether they will receive the support and assistance they will need.

PILA is working on behalf of the student body to develop a loan repayment assistance program with a sustainable funding structure. Our efforts to accomplish this goal include:

  • Earmarking over $40,000 to begin a UW LRAP
  • Securing an additional $35,000 commitment from the Law School and matching donations
  • Working with Law School administration and the development office to raise funds
  • Drafting and recruiting legislative sponsorship of Washington State Senate Bill in 2005
  • Establishing a Legal Loan Repayment Assistance Program at The University of Washington
  • Students testified in front of both the Senate and House Higher Education Committees
  • PILA obtained over 200 signatures of supportive students in a one and a half day period
  • Senate Bill 5910 passed the Washington State Senate
In the 2006-07 school year PILA will:
  • Continue to raise revenue through the annual auction and other fundraising events
  • Work with the Law School Development office and University President Mark Emmert to raise money
  • Strengthen relationships with law firms
  • Lobby legislators, testify in committee and promote student support and involvement