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Ness-Blatt Loan Repayment Assistance Program

The Bar Foundation is pleased to forgive $99,000 in loan repayment for 27 civil legal aid attorneys in South Carolina. This was the third year of awards through the Ness-Blatt Loan Repayment Assistance pushing totals upwards of $420,000.

The Foundation’s LRAP name honors the public service commitment exemplified by Chief Justice Julius “Bubba” Ness and Speaker Sol Blatt.

The burden of debt that faces lawyers working in the civil legal aid arena is staggering.

LRAP assistance is considered a forgivable loan. To have the loan forgiven, a participant shall complete a year of employment with a qualifying employer and make educational debt payments (interest and/or principal) that equal at least the amount of Foundation and other LRAP assistance received during the award year. In forgiving the awards for years of service at the organization, the Foundation is hopeful that more hard-working and dedicated legal services lawyers will be able to remain in the legal services arena.

There are no funds available through the Ness-Blatt LRAP program for FY 11. The Foundation has worked with its grantees to develop a supplemental loan repayment program to continue its work with recruitment and retention of civil legal aid attorneys.

“The program has indeed lifted a very serious financial burden which I incurred so I could do public interest work. We are very fortunate to have the Bar Foundation provide this opportunity so that we may continue to provide legal services to a segment of the population that might otherwise be ignored.”

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