« Ind. Courts - More on: Lake County Council "frowns on unchanged budgets from county judges " | Main | Ind. Courts - "Outburst response filed by Judge Scheibenberger" »
Monday, August 11, 2008
Law - More on "Loan repayment assistance programs progress"
Updating this ILB entry from March 27th, the AP is reporting, in a story with an Oklahoma slant, but one that I believe is applicable nationally:
A federal law awaiting President Bush's signature will allow Oklahoma prosecutors and public defenders to retain more qualified, dedicated attorneys who are saddled with law school debt, legal officials say.The John R. Justice Prosecutors and Defenders Act would repay up to $60,000 in law school loans for lawyers who agree to work for a district attorney or public defender office for at least three years.
Participants in the program would be limited to $10,000 in government repayment during any year, up to the overall maximum.
Oklahoma County's Chief Public Defender Robert Ravitz and District Attorney David Prater both say the measure will help them keep lawyers who otherwise might find themselves having to go into higher-paying private practice jobs to pay down their loans.
"After a year or two, for really top-notch people, we can't match anywhere close to the salaries they'll make in private firms," Ravitz said. "A lot of good people have flat-out told me, 'We love working here, but our student loans are such that, even though we're willing to work for less money, because we like doing what we're doing, we can't afford to live in a decent apartment or a decent house.'"
Posted by Marcia Oddi on August 11, 2008 02:18 PM
Posted to General Law Related