UW Law School begins loan repayment assistance program

The UW Law School has awarded the first Loan Repayment Assistance Grants to help repay law school loans for those graduates who take public-interest positions.

Receiving the first grants are: Terry Kent, Equal Opportunities Commission, Madison; Michael Gutierrez, Illinois Migrant Legal Assistance Project, Legal Assistance Foundation of Chicago, Chicago; Adnan Latif, Ohio State Legal Services Association, Columbus, Ohio; Jessica Lane, Southeastern Ohio Legal Services Association, Portsmouth, Ohio; Farrah Wilder, Equal Rights Advocates, San Francisco, Calif. and Emilia Sicilia, Brennan Center for Justice, New York, N.Y.

The grant provides graduates who accept public-interest jobs in the legal field assistance in paying back approximately six months’ worth of their law-school debt. The Law School plans to award grants on an annual basis until the school is able to establish a full-scale Loan Repayment Assistance Program. Similar to the grant program, an LRAP would provide assistance in repaying loans for law-school graduates who accept low-paying public-interest positions, but would pay back more debt for longer periods than the grant program.

LRAPs allow graduates who might not otherwise pursue public-interest careers – because of the increasing discrepancy between salary and loan payments – to do so. Law-school debt averages $75,000 nationally, while public-interest law salaries average approximately $35,000.

By instituting the grant program and working toward an LRAP, the UW Law School has joined about 50 other law schools with similar programs in supporting public-interest legal work.

Funding is the primary obstacle in making the transition from the grant program to a full-scale LRAP. Students and alumni are working with faculty and Law School administrators to devise a long-term strategy for acquiring the necessary financial support. Meanwhile, UW law students have already demonstrated tremendous financial support for an LRAP. Last spring, the class of 2002 pledged more than $25,000 to an LRAP, and even more substantial support is expected from the class of 2003.

Gifts from both individuals and organizations also are welcome and may be sent to the UW Foundation – Law School LRAP, P.O. Box 8860, Madison, WI 53708-8860.