Irving C. Paul Loan Forgiveness Fund for Public Defenders

Program Eligibility

Qualifying Employment

• Open to all eligible Seattle U Law graduates
• Must begin and maintain employment in public defense work as a licensed attorney immediately upon graduation. Exception: eligibility begins upon completion of judicial clerkships, fellowships, parental leave or other comparable factors.
• Full-time positions only
• Can be public or private sector
• Must meet all other Loan Repayment Assistance Programs (LRAP) qualifications, except annual income limitation.
• Length of service in qualified employment may be considered in determining qualified applicants
• LRAP committee makes final determination of qualifying employment.

Funding

• For the application year only and is not retroactive
• Graduates must first take advantage of other LRAP programs first (such as federal, state, and employer-based programs).

Qualifying Debt

• Eligible law school debt cannot exceed the total institutional cost of attendance for the applicant’s in-school years
• Exception: bar loans.
• “Total institutional cost of attendance” includes tuition, books, and living expenses, and is set by Seattle U Law at the start of each academic year.

Qualifying Loans

• LRAP awards help repay loans disbursed under institutionally approved and certified loan program:
  • Stafford loans (both subsidized and unsubsidized)
  • Perkins loans
  • Grad PLUS loans
  • Supplemental private loans -- included only if budget allows, after first taking account of Stafford and Perkins loans.
• Ineligible loans:
  • Personal loans from banks or from family members
  • credit card and consumer debt
  • commercially available educational loans not certified by Student Financial Services, including Direct to Consumer loans,
  • Loans taken out by parents to finance a student’s education.
  • Undergraduate or other graduate program debt

For joint-degree programs, only the Law School portion of the joint-degree debt is covered.

Loan Forgiveness

Loans will be forgiven if the recipient meets the following conditions:

• Work in qualifying employment within the LRAP guidelines for at least one year after the June funding is disbursed
• Maintain all applicable student loans in good standing
• Submit LRAP Employer Certification for Forgiveness form and LRAP Lender Verification for Forgiveness form.

Important considerations:

• LRAP loans must be paid back if recipient discontinues qualified employment.
• Only a certain percentage of the loan must be paid back if recipient remains in qualified employment for at least six months and then leaves.
• Receipt of an LRAP loan may create taxable income; consult with a tax expert to determine tax liability.

Repayment Due to Ineligibility

• Participants who owe all or a percentage of their LRAP loans are legally obligated to repay these loans to Seattle University School of Law based upon their signed promissory note.
• Interest rate during repayment is 6% per annum.
• Participants who neglect to repay their LRAP loan as required may be assigned to a collection agency. Participants will be liable for original loan balance, interest, and all collection-related expenses and fees.

Leave of Absence

• Recipients may request in writing, with appropriate documentation, a leave of absence of up to two years, during which time they do not need to make payments, and interest will not accrue.
• Acceptable reasons for leaves include:
  • Maternity/parental leave
  • Relocation
  • Further legal education
  • Disability
  • Other purpose approved by LRAP committee
  • Loans become payable if recipients do not return to the program within two years
  • Recipients are not eligible for program loans during leaves of absence
  • Recipients who leave public interest work for private sector employment do not qualify for leave; they must begin repaying their loans LRAP loans.

Loan Consolidation Programs

Graduates may enter a loan consolidation program, but LRAP benefits will only contribute for a maximum of five years. Benefits may be calculated based upon the actual monthly payment amount under consolidation.

Prohibition of Default and Delinquency

All participants in LRAP must be current on their loan payments and have no outstanding balance on a Seattle University account. Default and delinquency will disqualify an applicant from participating and will terminate any further assistance for that participant.

Application and Renewal Procedure

• Apply by April 17 priority deadline date.
• Award amounts are subject to the availability of funds and the number of applicants eligible for an award in each award period.
• DOWNLOAD: Public Defenders LRAP Application Packet

The LRAP application requires the following:

• Completed LRAP Application
• LRAP Loan Indebtedness Form
• Cover letter expressing public interest/non-profit involvement
• Current resume
• LRAP Employer Certification Form demonstrating proof of employment with a qualifying organization and salary
• LRAP Lender Verification Form(s) from each loan program that lists educational debts, including payment status, servicer name, month and year each loan went into repayment, total amount borrowed, unpaid balance and dollar amount of monthly repayment obligation
• A signed agreement that the graduate will apply loan proceeds toward the repayment of law school educational debt, maintain educational loans in good standing, and promptly advise the LRAP Committee of any change in employment and/or financial condition
• Permission to publish recipient’s name and applicable biographical information in Seattle University School of Law publications and in the press
• A signed promissory note in the amount of the annual LRAP loan
• Additional documentation as requested

Renewal Process

• Participants must apply every year by the annual priority deadline.
• Once admitted to the program, it is graduates’ responsibility to re-apply each year for renewal and provide updated information.
• Prior LRAP recipients do not receive priority in the selection process.
• LRAP funding is available for a maximum of five years per participant.

Three ways to submit the completed application packet:

Selection Criteria

The selection criteria include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Qualifying public interest employment
• Length of service
• Debt level
• Receipt of other LRAP program funds

Decisions made by the LRAP committee are final.

Loan Disbursement

• Loan funds are disbursed by the Business office on or about June 30 of the qualifying year.
• Recipients must sign an annual promissory note.

This publication is intended for the guidance of Seattle University School of Law administration, students and faculty. It sets forth in general the manner in which the Law School intends to proceed with respect to the LRAP program, but the University reserves the right to depart without notice from the terms of this publication. This publication is not intended to be and should not be regarded as a contract.