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LOAN REPAYMENT ASSISTANCE PROGRAM

In 2007, the Council of the District of Columbia designated the DC Bar Foundation as the administrator of the Public LRAP program. DC Bar Foundation administers two loan repayment assistance programs for legal aid attorneys who work in DC.

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The Public LRAP is available for attorneys who work and live in the District and is funded by the District. The Private LRAP is for attorneys who work in the District but live outside of the city and is funded through contributions to the Foundation. Through both these programs, the Foundation may provide up to $12,000 a year in interest-free, forgivable loans to help DC’s legal aid attorneys pay down their educational debt. 

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For attorneys, LRAP can be the critical financial resource that allows them to pursue their passion and work with a legal aid organization. DC Bar Foundation recognizes that LRAP is an important component when deciding to work for DC civil aid non-profit organizations where the average pay can be less than that paid in for-profit companies.

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We believe that when DC civil legal aid organizations can attract and keep skilled attorneys, more of our most vulnerable neighbors will receive the representation they need. 

Since the inception of the program, the Foundation has forgiven over $5 million in debt for more than 370 legal aid attorneys making less than $100,000 annually.

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In 2021, DCBF moved from an annual application process to a rolling enrollment process, which allows legal aid attorneys to take advantage of LRAP forgivable loans soon after hiring rather than waiting for a once-a-year application. 

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For more information on the programs, please visit the LRAP Attorneys and LRAP Eligible Employer tabs or email LRAP@dcbarfoundation.org.  

LRAP Info Sessions

DCBF provides loan repayment assistance to qualified attorneys employed with an eligible 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that provides direct civil legal services to residents with low incomes. DCBF hosted information sessions for individual attorneys and DC non-profit employers to share changes in the DCBF LRAP program and updates on the student loan landscape.

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Recordings and links to the slides can be found under the respective tabs. 

List of DCBF current eligible employers

  • Advocates for Justice and Education

  • African Communities Together

  • Amara Legal Center

  • Asian Pacific American Legal Resource Center

  • Ayuda

  • Bread for the City

  • Capital Area Immigrants’ Rights Coalition

  • Catholic Charities Legal Network

  • Central American Resource Center

  • Children’s Law Center

  • Christian Legal Aid of DC

  • Community Family Life Services

  • DC Affordable Law Firm

  • DC Bar Pro Bono Center

  • DC KinCare Alliance

  • DC Volunteers Lawyers Project

  • Domestic Violence Legal Empowerment and Appeals Project

  • First Shift Justice Project

  • Georgetown University Law Center - Health Justice Alliance 

  • Howard University School of Law

  • KIND, Inc. 

  • Legal Aid Society of the District of Columbia

  • Legal Counsel for the Elderly

  • Mid-Atlantic Innocence Project

  • Mother's Outreach Network

  • Neighborhood Legal Services Program

  • Network for Victim Recovery of DC

  • Open City Advocates

  • Quality Trust for Individuals with Disabilities

  • Rising for Justice

  • School Justice Project

  • The Safe Sisters Circle

  • Torture Abolition & Survivors Support Coalition

  • Tzedek DC

  • University Legal Services

  • Washington Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs

  • Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless University Legal Services

  • Whitman-Walker Health

An LRAP eligible employer must be a DC-based, non-profit, tax-exempt charitable organization that provides civil legal services to the District’s low-income or underserved residents and is eligible for funding from the DC Bar Foundation. Employers seeking to be added to the LRAP Eligible Employers List must complete and submit the eligible employer application. Please contact lrap@dcbarfoundation.org for more information and questions.

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