A Crisis Exists in Recruiting and Retaining Legal Aid Lawyers

Legal aid openings now stay unfilled for months. Retaining experienced lawyers is, if anything, a bigger problem. Currently one third of California legal aid lawyers leave for other jobs each year. Candidate lawyers considering legal aid jobs and veteran lawyers deciding whether to stay report that the number one concern is money, and student loan payments are a major factor. Over 84% of entry-level candidates and over 75% of all legal aid lawyers have educational debt, with the median amount between $125,000–$149,000. More than a third owe $200,000–$300,000 or more. The problem is even worse for legal aid lawyers of color with a median educational debt range of $200,000–$225,000 (2014 to 2018 graduates).

The California Legislature has authorized use of IOLTA funds and Equal Access Funds to fund a Loan Repayment Assistance Program administered by CalATJ. The program is designed to comply with Section 108(f) of the Internal Revenue Code, so that distributions can be excluded from the participants' taxable income.