NATIONAL DISTRICT ATTORNEYS ASSOCIATION SUPPORTS RESOLUTION URGING CONGRESS TO PROVIDE STUDENT LOAN FORGIVENESS FOR ATTORNEYS ENTERING PUBLIC SERVICE AS PROSECUTORS
Washington, D.C. -- December 10, 2002 – The National District Attorneys Association (NDAA), at its recent Board of Directors meeting passed a Resolution that urges Congress to enact legislation providing student loan forgiveness for new attorneys entering public service as prosecutors.
“In this time of ever tightening budgets we need to find creative options for attracting talented individuals who seek a career in public service. As the advocates of victims of crime, prosecuting attorneys should be the best and brightest in the United States,” said Dan Alsobrooks, President of NDAA and District Attorney of the 23rd Judicial District in Charlotte, TN. Alsobrooks also noted that “with community service and homeland security of prime importance to state and federal law enforcement – it is of paramount importance that those attorneys wishing to enter public service not be deterred because of the dramatic discrepancy in salaries offered at the public service level versus those offered by law firms.”
Experienced and qualified prosecutors and public defenders are essential to the administration of justice at the local, state and federal level. The starting salaries for lawyers in public service on average are fifty percent below the starting salaries of lawyers with comparable experience who are employed as associates in private law firms.
Additionally, most law school students must obtain loans to attend law school. Recent law school graduates will accumulate a student loan debt of over $79,000 with many in excess of $100,000. The relatively low salaries in public interest and government offices, coupled with high education debt, place potential employees in a position where they are not able, financially, to realistically consider public service upon graduating from law school.
Therefore, NDAA urges Congress to enact legislation amending the Federal Stafford Loan program so as to provide service-cancellation benefits for both prosecuting attorneys and public defenders who serve in public interest positions within the criminal justice system.
NDAA is the only association in America that represents prosecutors. It has approximately 7,000 members who represent over 26,000 attorneys in about 2,400 jurisdictions. Local prosecutors are responsible for prosecuting about 99% of all violent crime cases and 95% of all criminal cases in the United States.
CONTACT: Velva M. Walter
Director, Media Relations (NDAA)
703-519-1689 – Email: velva.walter@ndaa-apri.org
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