For many law school graduates, the desire to work in the public interest field is often delayed because of high law school debt. Â Now, however, recent law school graduates seeking fulfilling careers in legal aid have a new tool to help them accomplish this goal, according to a release by the National Legal Aid & Defender Association.Â
Following several months of discussion and debate, on July 31, both houses of Congress reauthorized the Higher Education Act, which included a provision to provide loan repayment for civil legal assistance attorneys. This provision was an amendment added to the Higher Education Act by Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA). The Higher Education Act reauthorization bill passed the Senate by 83-8 and the House of Representatives by 380-49. President Bush has since signed the bill into law.
To see a full text of the bill, please visit (http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d110:h.r.04137)
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