The Bar
Foundation announces awards upwards of $100,000 to 28 civil legal
aid attorneys in the state for loan repayment. This is the
third year of awards through the Ness-Blatt Loan Repayment
Assistance pushing totals upwards of $420,000.
The Foundation’s LRAP name honors the public
service commitment exemplified by Chief Justice Julius “Bubba”
Ness and Speaker Sol Blatt.
The burden of debt that faces lawyers working in the civil legal
aid arena is staggering.
LRAP assistance is
considered a forgivable loan. To have the loan forgiven, a
participant shall complete a year of employment with a
qualifying employer and make educational debt payments (interest
and/or principal) that equal at least the amount of Foundation
and other LRAP assistance received during the award year. In
forgiving the awards for years of service at the organization,
the Foundation is hopeful that more hard-working and dedicated
legal services lawyers will be able to remain in the legal
services arena.
The Ness-Blatt LRAP is administered on a
September to August cycle. |
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“The program has indeed
lifted a very serious financial burden which I incurred so I
could do public interest work. We are very fortunate to have
the Bar Foundation provide this opportunity so that we may
continue to provide legal services to a segment of the
population that might otherwise be ignored.”
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