In recent years, the rising debt burden of law school graduates has limited the ability of highly qualified individuals to pursue careers in public service without, often, extreme pecuniary sacrifice. The Chicago Bar Foundation has joined with other bar and public service organizations and leaders to advocate for meaningful loan repayment assistance efforts, on both the state and federal levels, to enable more lawyers to pursue public interest jobs without regard for student loan debt.
While the recent passage of several federal laws makes it easier for many more law school graduates to choose and remain in public service, more is still needed, particularly appropriations for several new state and federal programs that, once funded, will assist public interest attorneys with their educational debt. On the state level, a new state law was signed into law, called the Public Interest Attorney Assistance Act (“PIAAA”), which established the framework for a state loan repayment program for lawyers working the public interest. The CBF is committed to advocating state and federal loan repayment programs that will assist public interest lawyers continue to pursue their important and laudable work, and we strongly support the passage of the to address this need.
For more about the federal loan assistance programs, please click here.
For more specific information about the PIAAA, please click here.
For more information on The Chicago Bar Foundation’s advocacy work relating to public interest loan repayment assistance and forgiveness, please contact Danielle Hirsch at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or 312-554-4952.
