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 $5,265,645 in loan repayment assistance to over 521 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.

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 636 Assistant DA’s and 298 PD’S in North Carolina.  Student loan debt is consistently cited as the overwhelming reason why attorneys decline or leave positions as prosecutors and public defenders.
• State funding for NC LEAF was eliminated by the 2011 General Assembly and federal funds  are no longer available.