Low salaries coupled with high educational debt make it difficult or impossible for lawyers to accept or remain in positions with the District’s legal services providers. As part of its efforts to increase access to justice, the Foundation launched in 2006 a Loan Repayment Assistance Program (LRAP) for poverty lawyers working in the District. At the same time, the Foundation was named to administer the newly-created publicly-funded LRAP. The programs annually support roughly 50 poverty lawyers working in the District at eligible employers with interest-free, forgivable loans, based on law school educational debt, of up to $1,000 per month.
Application information is available from the menu on the right.
DC LRAP13 MIDYEAR Application-due May 3rd
This FY13 Midyear Application is ONLY open to poverty lawyers who are current DC residents, working as a full-time or part-time lawyer for a FY13 Eligible Employer located in DC (see attached list), and who earn no more than $74,999 a year. DCBF will NOT be accepting new Eligible Employer applications for the FY13 Midyear DC LRAP application cycle. Click here for the application.
LRAP 2013 Fast Facts:
| Total educational debt of all 2013 applicants: | $6.7 million |
| Average educational debt of 2013 applicants: | $135,000 |
| Average annual educational debt payments: | $9,470 |
| Median annual salary of applicants (before taxes): | $51,220 |
| Average 2013 LRAP awards: | $4,747 |
| Number of 2013 LRAP applicants: | 51 |
| Number of recent graduates receiving 2013 awards: | 18 |
