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Instructions

Boston University School of Law provides grants to a number of J.D. graduates who are within ten years of graduation and who are working full-time in a law-related position that is within a public interest or government organization.

Eligibility Criteria

To be considered law-related, the position must utilize the legal training and skills of the graduate and make direct use of their legal education. The Loan Assistance Grant Committee will consider applications from students employed in the following areas of public interest:

1. Non-profit: an organization, qualifying for tax exemption under IRS code sections 501(c)(3), 501(c)(4), or (501)(c)(5), that provides direct legal services to clients who are indigent, disabled, homeless, elderly, juveniles, non-English speaking, deprived of human rights, or members of traditionally underrepresented groups
2. Government: includes local, state, or federal government agencies that have as their primary purpose the rendering of legal services on behalf of the public
3. Judicial Clerkships:Non-permanent judicial clerkships will not constitute eligible employment. Permanent judicial law clerk and staff attorney positions will qualify as eligible employment.
4. Other Non-profit: as determined eligible by the Loan Assistance Grant Committee, although it does not fit into the above categories. (i.e. ACLU, Street Law, The Advancement Project, Sierra Club)

In determining whether an organization qualifies as an eligible organization, the Loan Assistance Grant Committee will also consider the organization’s history and its viability. The Committee determines which jobs meet the eligibility criteria. All decisions of the Committee are final.

To determine how to award available funds to eligible applicants the Committee will consider the following: current income, assets, amount of law school debt, availability of other sources of income, and the nature of work performed. Preference will be given to those performing direct service as set out in section “a” above. Due to the limited availability of funds, it is possible that not every eligible candidate will be able to receive funding.

All Boston University School of Law graduates who are within ten years of their graduation date are eligible to apply for a Loan Assistance Grant; however, preference will be given to recent graduates.

Income Eligibility

As noted above, grantees will be selected after consideration of several factors, including income, assets, educational debt, year of graduation, dependent responsibility (if applicable), and any special circumstances affecting the applicant's ability to repay outstanding educational debt.

A ratio of debt to income will be the preliminary determinant of grant eligibility. Income will include spouse’s income. Debt shall include institutionally approved educational loans for both undergraduate and graduate education for the student and spouse. Family or personal loans, credit card debt, or loans other than those for educational purposes will not be included in the ratio of debt to income.

Application Procedures:

Applicants must complete the attached form and submit it to the Law School Financial Aid Office by December 1, 2008. Applicants must also submit a signed copy of their and their spouse's 2005 Federal Income Tax Return, including all schedules and W-2 forms, and must obtain verifications from employers and lenders. The form requires applicants to provide the following information:

1. Employment history, including salary
2. Income and asset information, including salary for spouse
3. A list of educational debts, including the name of each lender and date of loan (to be verified by information on file in the Law Financial Aid Office)
4. A list of spouse's educational debts, subject to verification
5. Other documentation as may be requested by the Loan Assistance Grant Committee.

ALL MATERIALS MUST BE POSTMARKED NO LATER THAN DECEMBER 1, 2008.

If additional employment verification forms are needed, please make copies of the forms provided with this application.

Notice to All Applicants:

Receipt of a Loan Assistance Grant may constitute taxable income to the grantee for purposes of state and federal tax laws. Boston University School of Law makes no representations as to the tax effect of such grants. Boston University will report the amount of the grants to the Internal Revenue Service.