Employer LRAP Information

Recognizing that high student debt burdens make it impossible for talented lawyers, especially those who come from less privileged backgrounds, to accept or remain in legal services staff positions, various legal services employers across the nation have created their own loan repayment assistance programs for their legal staff. Eligibility requirements, probationary periods, program guidelines, payment amounts, payment installments and forfeiture rules vary widely depending upon the legal services agency and program. But all agencies with employer-based loan assistance programs argue that offering this type of assistance helps them attract top candidates to their legal staff and retain their current attorneys.

Of the legal aid employers that offer loan repayment assistance, many provide assistance directly to their employees in the form of reimbursements. This assistance is considered income to the employee for tax purposes. Other employers have developed programs that tax advisors believe will allow employee-recipients to exclude the assistance from their income taxes. For example, Legal Services for Cape Cod & Islands offers its employees loan repayment assistance through the Massachusetts Legal Assistance Corporation. Lane County Legal Aid Services in Eugene Oregon sets up a payment schedule directly with the employees' loan sources and pays directly to the source.

The Legal Services Corporation (LSC) maintains a list of employer-based LRAPs that operate at LSC-grantee agencies across the nation. See http://www.lri.lsc.gov/sitepages/management/management_lrap.htm for more information on these employer-based LRAPs.

There may also be other employer sponsored LRAPs offered by employers that do not receive LSC funding; we do not have a comprehensive list of these additional LRAPs.