Bar News - September 5, 2008
Loan Repayment Help for Legal Aid Lawyers
[The reauthorized] Higher Education Act… included a provision to provide loan repayment for civil legal assistance attorneys. This provision was an amendment added to the Higher Education Act by Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA). Lawyers who commit to working in legal aid for at least three years will be able to have a sizable chunk of their student loans paid. Legal aid attorneys who take part in the program, which will be administered by the U.S. Department of Education, could individually receive up to $6,000 per year up to a total amount of $40,000. In addition to attracting attorneys who might not otherwise find legal aid law a feasible alternative, the program is expected to stem high turnover rates.
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