In an effort to ease the financial burdens facing new attorneys working in public interest positions, some public interest employers establish loan repayment assistance programs for their employees. A recent survey by the National Association of Law Placement to approximately 4,500 civil legal services, public defender, local prosecuting attorney, attorneys general and public interest employers finds that:

• 39 of 430 responding organizations offer an LRAP program to attorney employees.
• 28 of the 39 organizations reporting an LRAP program are civil legal services organizations—five are district or county attorney offices and six are “other” organizations.
• 194 attorneys received an employer LRAP award in the most recent fiscal year.
• The average amount awarded per attorney ranged from nothing, to a median of $2,400, to a high of 12,000.
• 30 federal agencies provided loan repayment assistance programs for employees.
• In fiscal year 2005, 4,409 federal workers received assistance with student loans.
• Federal employees can receive up to $10,000 per year in student loan repayments up to a total of $60,000.