The 2017 Application Loan Cycle for the Legal Services Corporation Herbert S. Garten Loan Repayment Assistance Program will open on Wednesday, February 1, 2017 at 9:00 AM Eastern Standard Time.

The deadline for application submissions during this cycle is Tuesday, February 28, 2017 at 5:00 PM Eastern Standard Time.

Beginning in 2005, the Legal Services Corporation (LSC) has made forgivable loans to attorneys employed by LSC-funded legal services programs (LSC grantees) to help them repay their law school debt. LSC implemented the Herbert S. Garten Loan Repayment Assistance Program (LRAP) to help LSC grantees recruit and retain qualified attorney staff. Attorneys who are selected may receive forgivable loans for up to three (3) years depending on their continued eligibility and available funding.

Using a lottery system, LSC will select approximately 80 eligible attorneys (the actual number of loans made each year depends on available funding) to participate. Each loan recipient, referred to as a Participating Attorney (PA), will receive an LRAP loan, which must be used to pay qualifying law school loans and accrued interest. If the PA stays employed in good standing with the same LSC grantee through the required twelve months, as certified by the executive director of that grantee, then LSC will forgive the loan (presuming the PA meets all other terms and conditions of the loan agreement.) If the PA stops working at that grantee during those twelve months, then the entire loan must be paid back to LSC, unless LSC determines the PA had good cause.

A Participating Attorney’s participation in the first year of the LRAP is based on eligibility demonstrated in the initial application and selection. To participate in the LRAP for a second and third year, the PA must submit information demonstrating continued employment with the same LSC grantee and other eligibility requirements. If otherwise eligible, an attorney may participate in the second and third years even if the attorney's salary and/or net worth exceed the LRAP initial eligibility requirements. All loans are contingent upon funds being available.  

Attorneys who are selected to participate in the loan repayment assistance program receive loans of up to $5,600 per year for up to three years if they remain eligible and if funding is available. 

Participating attorneys must use the loan repayment assistance program to pay qualifying law school loans and accrued interest, and must meet all terms and conditions of the loan repayment assistance program. 

The debt to LSC will be forgiven at the end of each loan term so long as the participating attorney remains employed in good standing with our grantee throughout the term. Participating attorneys are expected to remain with our grantee for three years.

More information on the program, including full application procedures is available from the LSC website at: http://www.lsc.gov/grants-grantee-resources/our-grant-programs/loan-repayment-assistance-program.