On November 30, the front page of the Washington Post discussed an issue all-too familiar to the legal services community: the impact of crushing educational debt loads on new attorneys' ability to pursue public-interest legal careers.

The article told the story of Georgetown University Law Center student Beirne Roose-Snyder, who is struggling to decide between a high-paying job at a corporate law firm, or a lower-paying--but potentially more satisfying--global health law fellowship.

The decision is not easy to make. The $145,000 a year salary at the law firm would clear her and her husband's educational debts and allow the couple to pursue their dream of adopting a child. On the other hand, Roose-Snyder jokes with her husband that the corporate job, "would reinforce a part of my personality that neither of us likes very much, the Type A, traditional, ambitious person...in a power suit." The fellowship with Georgetown's O'Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law would allow her to work in a field she is immensely passionate about and that appeals to her Quaker faith, but the pay is less than half of what she would make with the firm.

Roose-Snyder's situation is familiar to law students throughout the country. The Post article cites figures from the American Bar Association, which found that in 2005-2006 law school students borrowed anywhere from $54,000 to $83,200 to finance their education. Meanwhile, the yearly median starting salary at private law firms is $95,000, but only $40,000 at public interest organizations. The average starting salary for an attorney at an LSC-funded program, $37,000, is the lowest in the legal field.

This year, the U.S. Congress acted in recognition of this problem when it passed legislation providing for loan repayment assistance to civil legal aid attorneys.

To read the article in its entirety, click here.