NEW YORK, NY— Public defenders, prosecutors, labor unions and legal service organizations called on state leaders to expand student loan assistance for public interest attorneys, warning that debt burdens are pushing lawyers out of government service and worsening court backlogs.
More than 60 organizations joined a coalition press conference urging Gov. Kathy Hochul and the state Legislature to include $4 million in the fiscal year 2027 budget to expand the Higher Education Services Corporation and District Attorney and Indigent Legal Services Attorney Loan Forgiveness programs.
The groups also signed a letter thanking Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins and Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie for including the proposal in their one-house budget bills and urging Hochul to add it to the final spending plan.
The proposal would raise annual loan assistance for public interest attorneys to as much as $8,000 for up to eight years, allowing recipients to receive as much as $64,000. Under the current program, attorneys can receive up to $3,400 annually and a maximum of $20,400.
Supporters said the existing cap has not kept pace with law school debt. The American Bar Association estimates lawyers graduate with an average of $130,000 in student loans.
State Sen. Jessica Ramos said the financial pressure is forcing lawyers to leave public service.
“Public defenders and prosecutors are essential to ensuring that our justice system works fairly and efficiently for every New Yorker,” Ramos said. “Yet too many talented attorneys are forced to leave public service because the burden of student loan debt makes these careers financially unsustainable.”
Public defender offices and district attorney offices across New York have reported persistent attrition in recent years as attorneys move to higher-paying private-sector jobs.
Assemblymember Jo Anne Simon, who sponsors the legislation, said the proposed expansion would help stabilize the workforce in courts across the state.
“New York’s public interest attorneys and assistant district attorneys are the backbone of our justice system, yet they are being crushed by a mountain of student debt that far outpaces their salaries,” Simon said.
Susan C. Bryant, executive director of the New York State Defenders Association, said the state’s loan forgiveness program has helped public service attorneys remain in their roles but has not kept pace with rising education costs. She said the lack of expanded eligibility and additional funding has limited the program’s ability to maintain a strong pipeline of qualified attorneys and retain them beyond the early years of practice.
District attorneys said loan assistance also affects recruitment and retention. Westchester County District Attorney Susan Cacace said staffing shortages can lead to growing backlogs, slowing the processing of criminal cases and delaying justice for victims.
Legal service providers said the departures ripple through the court system, increasing caseloads and delaying cases.
“When our offices lose experienced attorneys to the private sector simply because they cannot afford to stay in public service, it is the people we serve — vulnerable, low-income New Yorkers — who pay the price through case delays, court backlogs, and strained resources,” said Twyla Carter, attorney-in-chief and chief executive officer of The Legal Aid Society.
Under the proposal, attorneys could apply for the program from their second year through their tenth year of practice.
Supporters said the change would align state assistance with the timeline for federal loan forgiveness programs, which typically cancel remaining debt after a decade of qualifying public service.
The legislation has passed the state Senate with broad bipartisan support in recent years and appears in both the Senate and Assembly one-house budget proposals for fiscal year 2027. Lawmakers must negotiate a final budget with Hochul before the spending plan takes effect.