“LRAP” WORKING GROUP CHARTER

GOALS:

• To make recommendations to the NCBA Board of Governors in June 2008 on how the NCBA can help Legal Aid of North Carolina, Inc. (“LANC”) retain experienced staff attorneys by eliminating or significantly reducing law school debt.
• To consider how the new NCBA Endowment Fund might be used to address loan repayment assistance program (“LRAP”) concerns, interfacing with NCLEAF as appropriate.

BACKGROUND:

Many fine lawyers spend their careers at LANC. Many others want to but cannot because of the burden of college and law school debt. The current starting salary for LANC lawyers is $37,500. After 10 years at LANC, their salaries average $41,000. Such does not allow for much debt service, and the average LANC lawyer with school debt owes $74,000.

That is where LRAPs come in. LRAPs are a type of back-end financial aid providing need-based aid to assist graduates working in lower-paying public service jobs, such as legal services programs. Approximately 56 law schools, 8 states and some public service employers have created LRAPs.

As part of the “4All” Task Force, the “LRAP” Working Group is being asked to bring the collective thinking and resources of the NCBA to bear on this problem. Money is obviously one solution to servicing debt, and the Working Group is being asked to consider how the new NCBA Endowment Fund might be used to address LRAP concerns, interfacing with NCLEAF whose board members are represented among the Working Group members. But the Working Group is also being asked to consider creative solutions – solutions that may include such things as loan deferment, loan refinancing and the creation of additional LRAPs at North Carolina law schools and state-wide.

Educational debt should not prevent law graduates from pursuing or staying in LANC jobs. Together we can help existing LANC lawyers with

Last Update: Tuesday, January 15, 2008