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| For more information please contact: Office of Communications 617.305.6205 |
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| Suffolk Law Dean Robert Smith Testifies to Support Law Graduate Loan Forgiveness Legislation |
| Urges support of House Bill to Support Lawyers Working in Public Service |
In addition to a joint letter written by deans of eight Massachusetts law schools, Dean and Professor of Law at Suffolk University Law School Robert Smith appeared before a legislative committee on June 14, 2005 in support of state-funded loan repayment assistance program for lawyers in public service.
The mission of Suffolk Law School, from its founding in 1906 and continuing to the present, is to provide access to a legal education that develops highly competent, ethically sensitive, and service-oriented lawyers. The Law School emphasizes the importance of its graduates using their skills and expertise to help others, to promote justice, and to provide civic leadership.
Dean Smith further conveyed his support and pride in saying, “We are extremely proud that so many of Suffolk’s graduates have pursued careers in public service, as district attorneys, public defenders, legal services lawyers, government lawyers, legislators and judges.”
This mission however, is currently jeopardized by the combination of the high cost of legal education and the very low salaries paid to public service attorneys in Massachusetts. Many students come to law school with the intention of entering public service, but they find they can not afford to do so. The typical graduate from a law school in Massachusetts who has borrowed to pay for his or her legal education, has an educational debt of approximately $80,000.
Dean Smith noted that public service positions available to a graduating law student in Massachusetts are well below the starting salaries for similar employers in New York, Philadelphia, Chicago, Los Angeles and San Francisco. These very low salaries, combined with the extremely high cost of living in Boston, make it extremely difficult for public service employers to recruit and retain talented lawyers for these critical jobs.
Law schools have taken some significant steps to promote and support the public service aspirations of its students—from summer stipend programs to Loan Repayment Assistance Programs (“LRAP”) for graduates working in public service positions. But the clear message is that it will take more than the law schools acting on their own to fully address and remedy the problem.
Dean Smith urged support for House Bill #H1772, saying “This legislation is a model form of loan repayment assistance for lawyers working in public service. It builds off of other states’ experience and addresses the crucial need in the Commonwealth. It would create a cost effective vehicle for promoting public service – the funds would go directly to those attorneys actually working in public service positions who have significant educational debt. This loan repayment assistance program would contribute significantly to the goal of guaranteeing access to justice for all in the Commonwealth.” |
| For the press release urging increased funding for legal aid |
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