|
|
| Bar Bulletin |
February, 2003 |
|
|
MAKING A DIFFERENCE FOR
PUBLIC INTEREST GRADUATES
By M. Teresa Schmiedeler
A nationwide survey
conducted among third-year law students in the spring of 2002 details the
reality that many new law graduates will not be able to afford to practice
public interest law. The full report, conducted by Equal Justice Works,
National Association for Law Placement (NALP), and the Partnership for
Public Service, documents the fact that the substantial cost of financing
a legal education compels many law school graduates to abandon plans to
pursue a career in public interest law. (To download the full report,
visit
www.equaljusticeworks.org. Also, see the December 2002 Bar
Bulletin for further evidence of the financial obstacles facing law
graduates interested in pursuing a public service career.)
Some progressive
initiatives have made it easier for law schools to provide financial
assistance to law graduates who are struggling with the question of how to
afford to “do good” without going broke. The University of Maryland School
of Law offers some financial assistance to graduates working for public
interest organizations. It was possible to create a loan repayment
assistance program at the University of Maryland School of Law because of
the support of local attorneys Kieron F. Quinn, George McManus and
Maryland Delegate Samuel “Sandy” I. Rosenberg. Through endowments in their
own names – all loan repayment assistance funds – the School established
the Loan Repayment Assistance Program, which eases the financial burden of
those graduates interested in public interest careers. The donors’
leadership and gifts have sparked donations from many dedicated law school
alumni interested in helping Maryland graduates fight for equal justice.
The program,
distinctive because it was established by members of the local legal
community committed to legal aid and public service work, benefits not
only new attorneys but also the community as a whole. Karen H. Rothenberg,
Dean of the University of Maryland School of Law, states, “Many of our
students enter law school with aspirations of practicing public interest
law, and this fund will enable them to follow their dreams.” Four of the
first eight recipients of the Loan Repayment Assistance Program at the
School of Law are working for the Legal Aid Bureau, Inc., in Maryland.
The other four recipients work as public interest advocates in Maryland,
New York, Florida and Oregon.
The financial
concerns of educational debt and low public interest salaries may continue
to affect lawyers even after they begin their careers. Kelly
Ruark-Krupinsky advocates for children at the Legal Aid Bureau in
Baltimore. “Although I am concerned about the debt and my decision still
has an impact on my future, I am very glad that I chose to go to law
school and work as a public interest attorney because I enjoy my job and
the feeling that my work is important,” Ruark-Krupinsky says of working
for the Legal Aid Bureau. “I give children a voice in the system. LRAP
recognizes my financial challenges and supports my commitment to help
others in need of legal assistance.”
Furthermore, the
Maryland Public Interest Law Project, Inc., (MPILP) at the University of
Maryland School of Law, a student-run organization, hosts an annual Goods
& Services Auction to raise funds to support a summer public interest
grant program for law students working in public interest organizations.
The Maryland Legal Services Corporation, local law firms, individual
attorneys, public interest organizations and business leaders support the
efforts of the students. MPILP’s annual Goods & Services Auction is
scheduled for March 14, 2003, at the University of Maryland School of Law.
Also, the state of Maryland’s Higher Education Loan Assistance Repayment
Program provides some financial assistance to those individuals working in
public service in the state of Maryland. “With loan payments averaging
$700 to $1,000 a month, student public interest grants, state LARP
programs and school LRAP programs are vital to supporting law graduates
committed to working to help others gain equal access to justice,”
comments Karyn S. Bergmann, third-year law student at the University of
Maryland School of Law and co-treasurer of MPILP.
All citizens
benefit from solutions that support law graduates committed to serving the
public. Maro Constantinou, an attorney with Mobilization for Youth Legal
Services, Inc., in New York notes, “My role as a public interest advocate
is to in some way make a positive difference in people’s lives. However,
taking a job at a not-for-profit organization requires sacrifice. My work
directly impacts low-income New Yorkers. In a city with such a gross
disparity of wealth, LRAP supports attorneys like me to stay in these
not-for-profits where experience and long term commitment to poverty law
issues are truly benefiting the community.”
|
