News

LRAP Guidelines and Spousal Income

By Leah Sime | Posted on

As you may be aware, on June 26, 2015 the Supreme Court declared same-sex marriage legal in all 50 states. In light of this, we will apply our program guidelines regarding annualized income to all married participants. Effective January 1, 2016, if you are legally married you should report your spouse’s information on your LRAP application.

As a reminder, LRAP policy states that a married participant’s annualized full-time income will not be adjusted unless his or her spouse has a higher income, in which case the participant’s eligible income will be calculated based on half of the joint income of the couple.

We realize that January 1, 2016 is fast approaching. If you will be renewing an LRAP contract in early 2016 and you have concerns regarding how this will impact you, please notify us before January 1, 2016. We also encourage anyone with questions to schedule an LRAP appointment so that we can discuss your specific situation.

Important Dates to Consider for December Applicants

By Jong Cho | Posted on

As we approach the final weeks of 2014, we wanted to notify you of some important dates.

  • LRAP payments initiated before December 10th will most likely be paid before the end of the year.  Payments initiated after this date will most likely be paid in 2015.
  • Applications submitted on or after December 20th will be reviewed beginning January 2nd.
  • The Financial Aid Office will be closed Wednesday, December 24th through January 1, 2015 for curtailment. Please note that we will be unavailable by phone or email during this time.

Applications are processed in the order they are received.  As of today, we have processed all complete applications through 1931.

Please let us know if you have an urgent situation that requires our attention or if receiving your LRAP check in 2015 will cause financial hardship.  We will try to accommodate your request, but cannot guarantee you’ll receive funding before the end of the year.

The LRAP Team wishes you Happy Holidays and a delightful 2015!

New Office Location!

By Jong Cho | Posted on

Berkeley Law Financial Aid Office is happy to announce its new on-campus location starting Wednesday, October 1, 2014!

New Address:
Berkeley Law Financial Aid Office
396 Simon Hall
Berkeley, CA  94720-7200

Hours:
Mon – Thurs (Closed Fri)
9:00 AM – 12:00 PM & 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM

Please be aware that there will be no new LRAP counseling appointments available from September 22 to September 30 as the move goes underway. However, please feel free to email LRAP@law.berkeley.edu with any urgent questions.

LRAP Benefits for Civil Legal Assistance Attorneys: First-Come, First-Served

By Corina | Posted on

 Re-posted from “LRAP News & Announcements” June 2010:

LRAP Benefits for Civil Legal Assistance Attorneys: First-Come, First-Served

Equal Justice Works reports that a new Federal loan repayment assistance program for civil legal aid attorneys is going to become available soon. The new program is called the Civil Legal Assistance Attorney Student Loan Repayment Program (CLAAP) and will assist already licensed graduates in the field of civil legal assistance with the repayment of eligible federal student loans. The attorneys will need to work full-time and remain employed for three years.

An attorney may be awarded up to $6,000 in repayment assistance in 2010 (actually received in 2011), and may be prioritized to receive assistance in future years if Congress continues to fund the program. An attorney may receive a lifetime maximum of $40,000 in assistance.

This program has been funded with five million dollars for the fiscal year 2010. The Department of Education will commit these funds to eligible civil legal assistance attorneys on a first-come, first-served basis.

Applications are expected to be due August 16, 2010. The date that applications will be available is unknown, but should be soon. Eligible attorneys should complete the application as soon as it is available because funds are unlikely to cover all applicants.

If you are enrolled in IBR and plan to apply for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness after 10 years of public service, please be aware of the ineligibility double-benefit clause pertaining to the loan repayment assistance program for civil legal aid attorneys and PSLF under CCRAA. Details are listed at Equal Justice Works.

The impact of CLAAP on LRAP support depends on your loan portfolio and repayment plan.