School of Law encourages public service

 With a typical student debt load of over $80,000 after law school, it's no wonder that many aspiring attorneys dodge the public interest route.

 But even in the wake of a bleak report from the American Bar Association last month--which cited law school debt as a major obstacle to public service careers--Duke's School of Law is largely keeping the faith.

 From 1992 to 2002, according to the report, median tuition at private law schools jumped 76 percent, from $14,159 to $24,920. Tack that on to a 28 percent rise in cost of living, and you've got fewer and fewer students willing to turn down an average private practice starting salary of $90,000 for the $36,000 a public interest job lands.

 "The legal profession," the report states, "cannot honor its commitment to the principle of access to justice if significant numbers of law graduates are precluded from pursuing or remaining in public service jobs."

 A quick look at the employment statistics might make it seem that the School of Law is no exception. Eighty percent of the Class of 2002 found work in the private sector; only three percent went to public interest or government jobs.

 But Anne Akwari, senior career specialist at the office of student affairs, said students seem to be more interested in public interest work than they have been for years. Work at think tanks, the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Department of Justice, for instance, is perennially popular, Akwari said.

 "I think people who are interested in these [public interest] careers have an affinity for certain constitutional principles," Akwari said. "They enjoy seeing the fruits of their labor, which can be a little more difficult when your client is a company."

 Carol Spruill, associate dean of public interest, pro bono and special projects, said the employment data is simply misleading.

 "More people are making that initial job choice unduly persuaded by debt," Spruill said. "But looking at that 3 to 5 percent who go to public interest is just the narrowest way to look at it, because that's only their first job.... People are still making their way to service in one way or another."

 Others, however, are doubtful. Scott Goldstein, a third-year law student and treasurer of the Public Interest Law Foundation, said he thinks the career switch is not a real option for most lawyers. "You get caught up in a lifestyle," Goldstein said, adding that he's likely to work at a private firm. "When you're at a big firm in New York, associates can start at $100,000 a year. When you're pulling down that kind of money, you get a big house, have a family and kids and family expenses. You get used to having that kind of income, and it's not that easy to say, 'Okay, I'm going to reduce my income by two-thirds.'"

 But the law school is one of approximately 56 schools to offer a loan repayment assistance program specifically designed to aid public interest counsels. The LRAP works on a sliding scale such that a Duke law graduate making $35,000 a year has 100 percent of their loans repaid and one making $60,000 receives no assistance. Spruill said a cap of $200,000 in total yearly assistance exists but has never been reached.

 "Without the [LRAP] help, I don't think you could take a $30,000 position and then pay off that $80,000 debt," Spruill said. "That would require huge sacrifices."

 Through the LRAP, the law school forgave a total of $169,100 last year, more than double the $77,733 it forgave 10 years ago. Individual grants ranged from $1,757 to $18,246, with a median grant of $9,394.

 Even with the LRAP, getting graduates out of the private sector has not been easy. Until the spring of 2002, the LRAP sliding scale maxed out for students with a salary of $35,000--a figure that had not been adjusted in 10 years. Only after a student lobbying effort, led by Kendra Montgomery-Blinn, Law '03, did the changes take place.

 "It's a real tribute to the students who were part of the public interest work," said Dennis Shields, associate dean of admissions and financial aid. "They did almost all the legwork of comparing our program to those of peer institutions and put together a fairly significant proposal... that was to raise the salary cap and make us think about how we treat this."

 Meanwhile, the Public Interest and Pro Bono Center, which Spruill heads, sponsors a number of initiatives geared to spur student involvement, including an overnight retreat, service groups and a Southern Justice mission during spring break.

 This year, the law school has also launched the Pro Bono Pledge, calling for a voluntary commitment to 50 hours of law-related community service over students' time at the school.

 The Public Interest Law Foundation provides another option for students curious about thinking outside private practice. The group raises money throughout the academic year and divides it among eligible law students. Last year it offered 40 grants for students to do public interest law work over the summer.

 "I think the student loan debt is a real concern... but I sense a really palpable commitment to pro bono work among my fellow law students," said Debbie Murphy, a second-year law student and PILF co-chair. "A lot of law students will strike a compromise by finding a law firm that gives a salary that lets them pay [the loans] back, but will ask a lot of questions during the interview about [the company's] commitment to pro bono work. They want to find a real balance."

 Murphy added that public interest work does not always mean it has to be pro bono, or free.

 "People think if you're going to work in public interest, you're going to make no money and you starve," Murphy said. "But all lawyers, no matter what kind of job, can make a commitment to give back to their community."