Lifting the Burden: Law Student Debt as a Barrier to Public Service

56AppendixAPPENDIX 1COMMISSION PUBLICATIONSLifting the Burden: Law Student Debt as a Barrier to Public Service, The Final Report ofthe ABA Commission on Loan Repayment and Forgiveness (August 2003)Meeting the Challenge of Law Student Debt: Loan Repayment Assistance Programs(August 2003)State LRAP Tool Kit: A Resource Guide for Creating State Loan Repayment AssistancePrograms for Public Service Lawyers (May 2003)All publications are available through the ABA’s website at www.abalegalservices.org/lrap.SUMMARY OF COMMISSION ACCOMPLISHMENTSFederal Level• Coordinated ABA lobbying efforts for the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act• Lobbied Congress and the U.S. Secretary of Education to improve the incomecontingentrepayment option of the Federal Direct Lending Program• Stafford Loan Program - advocated for the creation of loan forgiveness for lawyersin public service and an increase to the cap on annual amount borrowed• Perkins Loan Program - advocated to extend forgiveness to attorneys working inpublic service, such as public defenders and legal services attorneys (broadeningbeyond existing categories of teachers, child and family service workers, and lawenforcement, prosecution, and corrections personnel)Law Schools• Developed a brochure for use by law schools to promote LRAPs, Meeting theChallenge of Law Student Debt: Loan Repayment Assistance Programs (tri-foldbrochure, August 2003)• Encouraged U.S. News & World Report to include LRAPs as a feature in its annualrankings issue• Submitted a proposed Interpretation to Accreditation Standard 510 to incorporatediscussion of methods of debt reduction, such as LRAPs and post-graduatefellowships, into the ABA Standards for Approval of Law Schools. The StandardsReview Committee of the Section of Legal Education denied the proposal. TheCommission then submitted a proposed Policy Statement encouraging law schoolsto include discussion of debt reduction methods, such as LRAPs, for adoption bythe Council. The proposed statement is pending and the Council will consider itat its August 2003 meeting.States• Developed sample LRAP legislation and a related resource manual, State LRAP ToolKit, to interest and encourage states in considering legislation and to assist barleaders in creating statewide LRAPs•Mounted an educational campaign targeted to state and local bars and foundationsAppendix