The Southern University Law Center (SULC) sponsors a loan reduction

assistance program (Program) to encourage and enable recent law school

graduates to enter and remain in public service. To be eligible for

consideration for the Program, applicants must meet the following

requirements:

1. Have graduated from the SULC within the last 10 years and

presently licensed and in good standing with the Louisiana state

bar.

2. Work full-time in a law-related public service job in Louisiana.

Examples of qualifying service include employment with a

federal, state or local government agency, an organization

providing legal services to the poor, and a Section 501(c)(3)

nonprofit organization.

3. Attorneys in their first year of practice must have an Eligibility

Determination Income, as defined under these Guidelines, of no

more than $40,000.00. Attorneys who have practiced at least one

year but have not completed two years of practice must have an

Eligibility Determination Income, as defined under these

Guidelines, of no more than $45,000.00. Attorneys, who have

practiced at least two years, must have an Eligibility

Determination Income, as defined under these Guidelines, of no

more than $50,000.00.

4. Must not be in default on any loan and must be current and not in

forbearance on all law school educational loans.

5. Must use all funds provided by the Program towards repayment of

eligible educational loans and pay to his/her lender(s) the

additional amount necessary to make the full loan payment each

month.

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The SULC sponsors a loan repayment assistance program (Program) to

assist recent law school graduates who enter public service. The Program’s

goal is to help remove the barriers to public interest practice faced by recent

graduates who have incurred significant debt to finance their law school

course work.

As used in these Guidelines, these words are defined as follows:

A. Applicant: A SULC graduate who applies to the SULC to receive

loan reduction assistance funds.

B. Participant: A SULC graduate attorney who has been selected by the

SULC to participate in and receive funds through the Loan Reduction

Assistance Program set forth in these Guidelines.

C. Spouse: An Applicant/Participant’s spouse.

D. Salary of an Applicant/Participant: The annual contractual amount

an Applicant/Participant earns, excluding benefits, while engaged in

full-time law-related Eligible Employment is defined in Section III of

these Guidelines.

E. Salary of spouse: The annual amount the spouse earns, excluding

benefits, while employed.

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F. Applicant/Participant’s Adjusted Income: Applicant/Participant’s

salary plus any other income of the Applicant/Participant.

G. Joint Adjusted Income: The salary of the Applicant/Participant plus

the salary of the spouse plus any other income of the

Applicant/Participant and the spouse.

H. Eligibility Determination Income: The higher of (a) the

Applicant/Participant’s Adjusted Income, as defined above, or (b)

one-half (½) the Joint Adjusted Income, as defined above, of the

Applicant/Participant and his/her domestic partner.

I. Current: (a) The loan is in a repayment phase. This means the

Applicant/Participant is obligated to make installment payments on

the loan, and (b) all payments required by the lender are being made

and are being made in full and on time.

To be eligible for the Program an Applicant/Participant must satisfy the

following requirements:

A. Law School Graduate: An Applicant must have earned a J. D.

within the last 10 years from the SULC.

B. Law license: A Participant must be a licensed member of and in

good standing with the Louisiana state bar. An attorney may

apply to the Program while he or she is awaiting results of a bar

exam or awaiting the opportunity to take a bar exam, but will not

be eligible to participate in the program until he/she has been

licensed by the Louisiana state bar.

C. Full-time: An Applicant must work or be paid for 35 or more

hours per week.

D. Law-related: The nature of the Applicant’s work must involve

legal problem solving or analysis and must require skills acquired

in legal education.

E. Eligible Employment: Eligible Employment is employment in

Louisiana with (a) a federal, state, or local government agency,

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such as a United States Attorney’s office or a Public Defender’s

office; (b) an organization that provides legal services to the poor,

such as Capital Area Legal Services Corporation; or (c) a 501(c)

(3) non-profit organization. A Participant does not become

ineligible if he/she leaves one type of Eligible Employment for

another.

Note: A judicial clerkship does not qualify as Eligible Employment.

F. Income Rules: For an Applicant/Participant in his/her first year

of law practice, Eligibility Determination Income, as defined in

Section II above, must be no more than $40,000. For an

Applicant/Participant who has practiced as a lawyer for at least

one year but has not yet completed two years of practice,

Eligibility Determination Income, as defined in Section II above,

must be no more than $45,000. For an Applicant/Participant who

has practiced for at least two years, Eligibility Determination

Income, as defined in Section II above, must be no more than

$50,000.

G. Eligible Loans: All need-based federal, university and educational

loans for law school education are eligible for inclusion in the

Program. Loans from family members and other private sources

are not included. Loan consolidation is not required.

H. Loan Repayment Status: All law school loans must be in

satisfactory repayment status. No loans may be in default.

Additionally, all law school educational loans must be current, as

defined in Section II of these Guidelines.

I. Available Leaves: A Participant on unpaid parental disability

leave is considered a full-time employee up to a maximum period

of six months, and shall, during that six month period, remain a

Participant as long as Participant continues to make payments to

lenders. If a Participant loses his/her job, he/she may apply to the

SULC for a grace period not to exceed six weeks, before being

required to leave the Program, and, if feasible repay the funds not

yet forgiven.

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It is the responsibility of the Applicant/Participant to keep all loans current

by payment of the required amounts in full and on time in order to continue

participation in the Program. An Applicant may apply to the SULC in the

event that he/she is behind in his/her loan payments before entering the

Program. Further, should a Participant experience exceptional circumstances

which prevent him/her from making his/her loan payment on time and in

full, the Participant must notify the SULC which will consider the matter

and decide a course of action.

Throughout the year, the SULC will verify on a regular basis certain

employment and loan information to determine Applicant/Participant’s

continued eligibility. To continue to receive SULC funding, a Participant

must provide, in a timely manner, appropriate signed documents to enable

the SULC to verify continued full-time, law-related, Eligible Employment,

qualifying salary and income under these Guidelines, and appropriate loan

repayment status for the Applicant/Participant. In addition, Participant must

assist the SULC in obtaining the above information should the employer,

lender, or other source of information so require. This includes providing

the SULC with necessary documents and/or letters to lenders so that the

SULC staff may have access to this information.

Money provided to the Participant during each year of Eligible Employment

will be forgiven on a year by year basis. The SULC will calculate the total

amount of assistance that a participant is eligible to receive during each year

of eligible employment, make a loan of that amount to the participant, and

pay out that loan in three installments directly to the participant. If the

participant completes that year of eligible employment in good standing, the

SULC loan for that year will be forgiven at the end of the year.

If a Participant leaves Eligible Employment before the completion of the

year, Participant must repay to the SULC any funds not yet forgiven. If a

Participant leaves Eligible Employment before the end of the four-month

payment cycle, the Participant will be required to repay a proportional

amount of that cycle’s grant. If the Participant leaves Eligible Employment

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after one month of a four month payment cycle, the Participant must repay

three-fourths (three months out of four months) of that cycle’s loan.

In order to verify that loans are current, the Applicant/Participant must

provide his/her loan payment history online, if such information is available

for this format in order to verify that loans are current. The

Applicant/Participant shall notify the SULC of any changes during the year

in financial, employment, and/or loan or debt repayment information for the

Participant and/or his/her spouse. In order to remain in the Program, every

year each Participant shall also provide updated information, signed

documents of the nature described above, a copy of his/her tax return and a

copy of his/her spouse’s tax return from the preceding year.

The level of benefits will be calculated once each year based on the thencurrent

information. The annual benefit will be divided and distributed to

the Participant in three installments, except as provided below. Payments

will be recalculated or eliminated during the funding cycle in the following

situations:

1. Participant leaves Eligible Employment. (Immediately disqualifies

Participant from receiving further payments, may trigger loan

repayment. See Structure of the Program, Section V.)

2. Participant’s loans are not current. (Disqualifies or suspends

qualification for participation in Program depending on the

determination of the SULC).

3. Eligible loan is paid off. (If Participant has remaining eligible

loan(s) for which payments are still due, payment to Participant

will continue on those remaining loans. If all eligible loans are

paid off, Participant shall no longer receive payments from the

SULC).

4. Failure to notify the SULC of changes and to request special

consideration from the SULC may result in termination from the

program .

Each Applicant/Participant shall read, sign and return to the SULC a copy of

the Program Guidelines as part of the application process described in

Section VIII and thereafter as requested to do so by the SULC, as set forth in

the final paragraph of these Guidelines.

Each individual Participant remains responsible for any positions taken on

his/her own federal income tax returns and the SULC cannot give any

Participant legal advice as to whether forgiven the SULC loans must be

treated as taxable income.

Participants who are uncomfortable with this lack of certainty have the

option to treat as taxable income the forgiveness of the SULC loan.

Participants are encouraged to seek legal advice for any questions about their

particular tax situation.

Judicial clerks do not qualify for loan repayment assistance.

The SULC Program will be overseen by a Committee (Committee/Executive

Committee) appointed by the SULC Chancellor. The Committee shall be

comprised of the SULC Finance Officer, the Director of Financial Aid, the

SULC Director of Career Services, two SULC faculty members, and one

SULC alumnus. No member of the Committee shall be an

Applicant/Participant while serving on the Committee. In selecting

Participants, the Committee may consider, but is not limited to, the

following factors: salary, Eligibility Determination Income, debt level, net

worth, type of employment, location of employment (rural/urban), law

school attendance, and any special circumstances, such as financial

responsibility for aging parents.

Once an attorney has been admitted to the Program, he or she may reapply

each year for additional assistance. Although the Program will attempt to

maintain payments to Program Participants who remain eligible once they

have begun, prior receipt of benefits does not constitute a legal entitlement

to future benefits.

The Committee reserves the right to modify the terms of the Program.

Applicants must understand that the Program’s existence depends on

continued funding.

Applicants must submit an Application and an Application Update annually.

There will be a deadline for the Application and Update. It is the applicant’s

responsibility to submit a completed Application, including completed

Employment Certification(s) and Loan information.

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Participant must submit a signed acceptance of these Guidelines, and other

signed attachments which may be required by the SULC. The Committee

will not consider incomplete or late applications. Applications should be