Welcome to the Steven C. Krane Special Committee on Student Loan Assistance in the Public Interest

Mission Statement

Public service attorneys play a critical role in society. Historically, however, public service lawyers are paid a mere fraction of what their corporate counterparts can earn by working at a private law firm and/or for a large corporation. This pay disparity in combination with the daunting law school loan debt recent graduates face - - in some cases as much as a mortgage for a modest home - - tends to dissuade many from pursuing a public service career or staying in the field for the long term. In recognition of the ever increasing need for attorneys in the field of public service, the New York State Bar Association created the Student Loan Assistance for the Public Interest (“SLAPI”) Program in 2002 to encourage lawyers to remain in public service careers by providing financial assistance to attorneys who meet specified eligibility criteria, including qualifying employment and salary limitations.

Committee Chairs


C. Bruce Lawrence, Co-chair	Edwina Frances Martin, Co-chair

Legal Links

Upcoming Events

SLAPI Resources

Three major types of educational debt relief available to public interest lawyers are:

1) Income-Based Repayment (IBR) , which lowers monthly loan payments by basing these borrower's income rather than the owed amount.

2) Public Service Loan Forgiveness(PSLF), which allows forgiveness on Federal Direct Loans after 120 qualifying payments while working full-time in qualifying public service employment.

3) Loan Repayment Assistance Programs (LRAPs), which are often offered by schools, employers, states, and the federal government and provide funds to help make payments on educational loans.

Learning about these programs now can help you make sure you're taking the right steps to benefit from them

Equal Justice Works

Equal Justice Works Educatioinal Debt Relief Program

Equal Justice Works - State Based Loan Repayment Assistance Programs

Heather Jarvis, Student Loan Expert

American Bar Association Loan Repayment Assistance Program

Loan Repayent Assistance Tool Kit

NYSBA

Government/Public Interest Attorneys Resource Center

Young Lawyer Resources

Pro Bono Information for Attorneys

New York Bar Foundation

Membership

Criminal Justice Section

Committee on Attorneys in Public Service

Free Webinar

What Every Public Interest Attorney Should Know About Public Service Loan Forgiveness Webinar

March 7, 2012

3:00pm -4:15pm EDT

(This program is informational only and does not offer CLE credit.)

STEVEN C. KRANE
STUDENT LOAN ASSISTANCE
FOR THE PUBLIC INTEREST COMMITTEE
ANNOUNCES GRANT AWARDEES

SLAPI awarded four new loan repayment assistant grants - the first since 2008 - at January 2012 Annual Meeting in New York City.

Photograph of NYSBA
President Vice

Presdient
SLAPI
Committee Chair

Elizabeth

Krane and
2012Grantees

Left to Right: Elizabeth Krane daughter of past-president and chair of the SLAPI Committee Steven C. Krane, Susan Lindenauer Member of the New York Bar Foundation Board, Faith Krane widow of Steven Krane, Edwina Frances Martin Co-Chair SLAPI Committee, Amy Lowenstein 2012 SLAPI Grantee, Seymour W. James Jr. President-Elect, Jennifer Monthie 2012 SLAPI Grantee, Vincent E. Doyle III President, Michelle De Mareo 2012 SLAPI Grantee, Claire Gutkunst Partner at Proskauer and Treasurer of NYSBA, Stacey-Ann Harris 2012 SLAPI Grantee, Emily Franchina Member of the New York Bar Foundation Board.

Picture of
President Vice

Presdident

SLAPI Co Chair and 2012
SLAPI Grantees

Left to Right: Seymour W. James Jr. President-Elect, Edwina Frances Martin Co-Chair SLAPI Committee, Amy Lowenstein 2012 SLAPI Grantee, Jennifer Monthie 2012 SLAPI Grantee, Michelle De Mareo 2012 SLAPI Grantee, Stacey-Ann Harris 2012 SLAPI Grantee, Vincent E. Doyle III President.

The grant recipients are:

Michelle De Mareo

Staff attorney Michelle De Mareo is a nine (9) year employee with Monroe County Legal Assistance Center (MCLAC) in Rochester, New York, having first served as an AmeriCorps volunteer with the organization for two years before she was hired. Ms. De Mareo represents low-income individuals and families, many of whom are disabled and at risk of homelessness. Ms. De Mareo defends low-income tenants and families in private and subsidized housing in eviction proceeding throughout Monroe County. In addition she represents tenants in administrative hearings to preserve their rental subsidies, such as Section 8 Housing benefits. Attorney De Mareo comes from a working class family and is the first and only member of her family to attend college and law school.

Stacey-Ann Harris

Ms. Harris has been employed for eleven (11) years with CAMBA Legal Services and currently is the project director of the organization’s Staten Island New York office. During her career at CAMBA, Ms. Harris has extensive litigation experience in consumer debt defense, immigration, family law, Social Security and other government benefits. Opening in October 2010 the Staten Island office is a beacon of light for low-income and disadvantaged individuals and families as Staten Island has historically had the least social and legal services of any New York City borough as well as the lowest number of affordable housing stock. Ms. Harris’ practice presently focuses on representing tenants in Housing Court and Supreme Court.

Amy E. Lowenstein

Attorney Lowenstein has dedicated her legal career to advancing the civil rights of people with disabilities through statewide impact litigation, systems reform advocacy, and individual advocacy in the Hudson Valley, Catskills, Capital District, Adirondacks, North Country and some of the counties bordering these regions. Ms. Lowenstein’s work has focused primarily on community integration of people with disabilities, particularly those with mental illness. Ms. Lowenstein has been employed as a staff attorney at Disability Advocates, Inc., in Albany New York since 2007. Ms. Lowenstein was the primary attorney on Joseph S. v. Hogan, a federal lawsuit against New York State that recently settled in September 2011. The settlement will result in the community integration of thousands of New Yorkers with mental illnesses who were inappropriately discharged to nursing homes from state psychiatric hospitals.

From 2005 through 2007, Ms. Lowenstein was employed as a staff attorney at the New York Legal Assistance Group (NYLAG) in New York City where she worked to prevent the unnecessary institutionalization of individuals with disabilities through litigation challenging delays and other failings in the Medicaid home health care fair hearing process.

Jennifer Monthie

Influenced by her father, a public servant for 30 years who spent the vast majority of his career working with and for individuals with developmental disabilities, Jennifer Monthie entered law school with one goal: to become a disability discrimination attorney. As preparation for achieving her goal, Ms. Monthie spent her high school years interning at OMRDD – now the Office for People with Developmental Disabilities - and her summer vacations providing direct care services assisting children and adults with developmental disabilities.

Ms. Monthie realized her life’s goal when she was hired eight (8) years ago as a staff attorney at Disability Advocates, Inc. Ms. Monthie practices in the areas of civil rights, education and community integration, with a focus on systems change litigation. She provides protection and advocacy services to individuals with developmental disabilities throughout New York State, with a special focus on the nine counties comprising the Capital Region.

Ms. Monthie also is the founding member and chair of the Special Education Task Force (www.nyspecialedtaskforce.org).