Advocacy Efforts

Law Student Division

Advocacy Efforts

Welcome

Welcome to the Law Student Division's Advocacy Information Page. Due to exciting new bills that have recently been signed into law and are currently being debated in Congress, this page will feature updates as we learn them. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact any of our Division Delegates, whose contact information can be found below.

Delegates to the ABA House of Delegates

Yasmin Gabriel

Yasmin J. Gabriel
Howard University School of Law
Washington, DC

Caitlin Groh

Caitlin Groh
The John Marshall Law School
Chicago, IL

Raju Vyas

Raju Vyas
Florida State University College of Law
Tallahassee, FL

Background Information on Law Student Debt

References

What is the Law Student Division Assembly?
What is the ABA House of Delegates?
Return to ABA Law Student Division Home
Contact an Officer or Delegate
Student Loan Forgiveness
Thurgood Marshall Legal Educational Opportunity Program
ABA Legislative and Governmental Advocacy -- Grassroots Legislative Action Center

Law Students on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC

This past April, Law Student Division leaders were in Washington, DC to discuss important issues facing law students nationwide with members of Congress and their staffs. As part of the ABA’s annual two-day visit to Washington, the LSD’s leaders thanked members for supporting increased federal loan repayment options for public interest attorneys, and encouraged support for a robust Prosecutor/Public Defender loan forgiveness program. LSD leaders also raised the specter of the sudden drop in the number of loan lenders, and the rising rate of mental health issues on law school campuses. Among others, LSD leaders visited the offices of Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL), Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT), Congressman Henry Waxman (D-CA) and Congressman Pete Visclosky (D-IN). Click here for a complete listing of the members that met with law student leaders. Tell me more about the Law Student Division's participation in ABA Day in Washington

Law School LRAPs

What are We Doing Now

This August, at the ABA’s Annual Meeting in New York City, law school leaders from across the country will be meeting to discuss important issues facing law students and the legal community at large. If you are your law school’s SBA President or ABA Representative, or would otherwise like to attend, please click here to sign up to register for ABA Annual. If you cannot attend ABA Annual, but would like to make your voice heard to the LSD leadership on any issue, please click here to send them a message.

Finally, this next Fall, your circuit will be holding a Leadership Conference where, among other things, issues affecting law students will be discussed, and ideas on possible solutions will be brainstormed. We look forward to hearing from you about concerns on your campus. Details on the Fall Leadership Conferences will soon follow.

Election Protection 2008

Lawyers and law students are being encouraged to sign up for Election Protection, a project of the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law and co-sponsored by the Section of Individual Rights and Responsibilities and Council for Racial and Ethnic Justice.

Learn About New Loan Repayment Programs For Recent Graduates

President Bush Signs College Cost Reduction and Access Act
Highlights of the College Cost Reduction and Access Act
College Cost Reduction and Access Act Article
Loan Forgiveness Tool Kit - Check back soon for additional materials.
A PowerPoint Presentation (available as a PowerPoint or in PDF format)
Other National articles on this recent change
See if your member of Congress voted to support this legislation:
- House of Representatives
- Senate
  Note: Votes for or against the College Cost Reduction and Access Act of 2007 were in support or against much more than IBR and ICR.

Share Your Story

Please share your personal experiences or hardships facing you as a law student, whether they relate to law school debt, the rising cost of tuition, admissions standards, and so on. Your story will be shared with Congressional representatives and ABA leaders, and will aid our efforts to fight for law students on a wide range of issues.

Visit Share Your Story

Developments in the 110th Congress

This Congress has seen a great deal of activity on the issue of student debt. In September, the House and Senate both passed legislation on federal loan repayment assistance programs. At the end of September, President Bush signed this piece of legislation into law. Tell me more about this legislation

Congress is also currently discussing Senator Durbin's Prosecutor and Public Defender Incentive Act (S.442), which allows eligible attorneys to receive student loan debt repayments of up to $10,000 per year with an aggregate over time of $60,000 for those employed as prosecutors and public defenders for three or more years.