What is NC LEAF?

In 1989, students and deans at North Carolina's law schools formed NC LEAF as the nation's first statewide loan repayment assistance program for attorneys working in public service careers.

Since the first funding cycle in 1991, NC LEAF has provided over four million dollars in loan repayment assistance to over 428 public service attorneys. NC LEAF, the North Carolina Legal Education Assistance Foundation, helps North Carolina lawyers pursue careers in public service through our educational loan repayment assistance program. Participating lawyers have accepted positions in which they aid the traditionally underserved populations of North Carolina. They do so at salaries which are often a fraction of those of their counterparts who work at private law firms. Yet they face the same educational debt as their colleagues who enter private practice.

A key component of NC LEAF is keeping well-trained attorneys in their jobs, which in turn helps the delivery of justice in the court system and ensures justice for the underrepresented citizens of our state. Retention is an ongoing problem with attorneys forced to seek higher paying positions in private firms. Staffing shortages result in overworked attorneys handling unmanageable caseloads potentially affecting public safety and the administration of justice. Replacement cost for an attorney earning $39,000 is estimated at $55,000 over and above the salary. 65% of NC LEAF participants have been in public interest jobs for at least 3 years.

Barriers to Seeking Public Interest Legal Positions:

• Law school tuitions have increased dramatically, over 267% since 1990
• Students graduate from law school with debts ranging from $80,000 to $200,000
• LANC starting salaries are $40,100 with average debt of $100,000
• Average starting salaries for Assistant District Attorneys and Public Defenders are $37,182. There are 642 Assistant DA’s and 265 PD’S in North Carolina.

Given the rising cost of tuition and the burden of debt, it is clear that NC LEAF fills a vital role in encouraging the pursuit of careers in public interest law. Student loan debt is consistently cited as the overwhelming reason why attorneys decline or leave positions as prosecutors and public defenders.

Average law school debt for participants is $86,000. Several attorneys have loans of $200,000. Cumulatively, NC LEAF participants owe nearly 11 million dollars for their law school education.