| SUMMARY |
The Debt Pay Plague of Public Interest Law is an issue that affects lawyers who choose to pursue a career in public interest law. While a career in public interest law can be rewarding and can provide a great sense of satisfaction, the pay is often much lower than it is for private sector work. This low pay can cause financial strain for lawyers in public interest law, as it is often difficult to pay off student loans and other debts that could otherwise be paid off more quickly with a larger salary.
The Debt Pay Plague of Public Interest Law is a growing problem, as many lawyers are finding themselves unable to pay off their student loan debt after working in the public interest sector. This problem has reached such an extent that many public interest law lawyers have to take out additional loans or make other sacrifices in order to make ends meet. This lack of financial stability can lead to additional stressors and can cause financial hardship for the individuals affected.
The Debt Pay Plague of Public Interest Law affects not only those individuals working in the public interest sector, but it can affect the overall field of public interest law as well. If lawyers are unable to meet their financial obligations, this can lead to a decrease in motivation and a lack of commitment to their area of practice. This decrease in motivation may cause lawyers to abandon their career in public interest law in favor of a higher paying job in the private sector.
To combat the Debt Pay Plague of Public Interest Law, organizations and initiatives have been created in order to provide assistance with loan repayment and financial aid. These organizations and initiatives provide various types of help, such as grants, scholarships, and interest rate reductions, that can help those working in public interest law finance their career and pay down any debt they owe.
In addition to the organizations and initiatives that have been created, law schools can also play a role in addressing the issue of the Debt Pay Plague of Public Interest law. Law schools can work to increase tuition discounts and financial aid options, which can help reduce the amount of debt that students will have to repay in the future.
The Debt Pay Plague of Public Interest Law is a growing problem and should be addressed in order to maintain the future of public interest law. Through the creation of organizations and initiatives that provide assistance to those working in public interest law, as well as through the actions of law schools, the Debt Pay Plague of Public Interest Law can be alleviated and can ensure that those working in this field can continue to make a difference.
| QUESTIONS ANSWERED IN THIS ARTICLE |
What factors are responsible for attorneys' recruitment and retention problems?
Low salaries and educational debt are responsible for recruiting woes. For retention, the most-cited culprits were salaries and debt. Other factors such as geographical location, pressure to take a private-sector job, and lack of upward mobility potential are also mentioned by some respondents.What is Equal Justice Works?
Equal Justice Works, formerly the National Association for Public Interest Law, is a nonprofit organization that strives to improve the legal system by providing law students with public interest opportunities and training. The organization conducts surveys to examine recruitment and retention issues in public service law.What is a Loan Repayment Assistance Program (LRAP)?
LRAPs are programs that provide public service lawyers some relief from their educational debt. Most of these programs require employers to match the amount of money provided for debt relief. For example, the United States State Department offers a program that provides student debt relief up to $6,000 per year of employment, to a maximum of $40,000.What is the Equal Justice Works Career Fair?
The Equal Justice Works Career Fair is an annual event held in Washington, D.C., that seeks to match employers with law school graduates. It attracts approximately 200 employers yearly from government, not-for-profit agencies, and public interest law organizations.What is the American Bar Association's plan to help relieve law school debt?
The American Bar Association is currently studying a plan to utilize funds from private law firms to underwrite law school debt for young attorneys who opt to practice public interest law. President Robert Hirshon has asked for an extension of the study at the ABA national meeting in August. Five states - North Carolina, Minnesota, Maryland, New Hampshire, and Arizona - currently provide some degree of debt relief underwriting, though the amounts are limited. The New York Bar is hoping for much more extensive funding.The double whammy of lower salaries and high educational debt are making it difficult for the public interest law sector to recruit and retain attorneys, according to a recent study by a national group.
In a survey of more than 300 public interest law employers nationwide, 69 percent of employers reported significant difficulty in attorney recruitment, with 62 percent citing problems with attorney retention. Nearly 90 percent of those employers cited low salaries and educational debt as the primary factors responsible for recruiting woes.
For retention of attorneys, the most-cited culprits were salaries, mentioned by 92 percent, and debt, by 82 percent. Other factors, such as geographical location, pressure to take a private- sector job and lack of upward mobility potential, were mentioned by less than 45 percent of respondents.
The survey confirmed long-held suspicions, said David Stern, executive director of Equal Justice Works, formerly the National Association for Public Interest Law, which conducted the survey.
"These findings demonstrate that the combination of low salary and high debt is lethal to the public service law community," he said. "When you offer salaries of less than $40,000 to persons with educational loans totaling more than $100,000, the result is epidemic problems in recruitment and retention."
One solution proposed by Equal Justice Works is an increase in loan repayment assistance programs (LRAPs). A review of anecdotal responses appeared to indicate that when good LRAP programs are available, recruitment and retention problems decrease, said Sheila Siegel, the Equal Justice Works research associate who managed the survey. Some government agencies are already on the LRAP bandwagon. The U.S. State Department, for instance, has a program that provides student debt relief up to $6,000 per year of employment, to a maximum of $40,000.
Equal Justice Works also touts its annual Career Fair in Washington, D.C. - to be held Oct. 25 to 26 this year - as a tool to match employers to law school graduates in this tougher market. It attracts about 200 employers a year from government, not-for-profit agencies and public interest law organizations.
Last year's program cited the statistic that of 180 ABA-approved law schools, 52 offered some form of LRAP, although six schools accounted for 70 percent of all LRAP money disbursed. Students were also provided with tips and guidelines on ways to establish LRAPs at their law schools.
The New York State Bar Association, meanwhile, is working on a plan that would utilize funds solicited from all segments of the legal industry to underwrite law school debt for young attorneys who opt to practice public interest law.
Five states - North Carolina, Minnesota, Maryland, New Hampshire and Arizona - currently provide some degree of debt relief underwriting, though the amounts are limited. The New York Bar is hoping for much more extensive funding, leaning heavily on private law firms for contributions.
A similar plan has been under study for some time by the American Bar Association. Its president, Robert Hirshon, asked for an extension of the study at the ABA national meeting in August.
Hirshon said only 3.3 percent of law school graduates currently enter public interest law, compared to approximately 15 percent 25 years ago, a statistic he attributes largely to higher educational debt and the greater disparity between large private firm and public interest law salaries that exists today.
This story appeared in the September 2002 edition of The National Jurist, www.nationaljurist.com.
