Public Interest Student Relief
Educating students for service and justice.
Our mission is “to produce ethical lawyers who will zealously and competently represent clients within the bounds of the law and, at the same time, recognize their duty to improve society.” Our public interest programs are designed to support lawyers who recognize that duty to improve society.
Get Help Financing a Public Service Career
The Loan Repayment Assistance Program (LRAP) and Creighton Fund for Clerkships in the Public Interest (CFCPI) are designed to help fund our students’ careers and recognize the high cost of education and relatively low pay of public interest positions.
The goal of Creighton’s LRAP is:
- to encourage new law school graduates to provide legal assistance, through employment in specific public interest legal settings, to people of limited financial means who cannot otherwise afford legal assistance;
- to encourage new law school graduates to work as lawyers in jobs that will benefit the overall public interest;
- to ease the financial burden of new graduates in exchange for their commitment to and completion of practicing a number of years in public interest law; and
- to make other students, who may not enroll in the program, aware of the need for assistance to the poor, and therefore to encourage pro bono service from these law school graduates.
Creighton’s CFCPI funds first and second-year students summer clerkships with government and non-profit entities.
- Review the 2021 CPCPI Application
- Search a list of organizations who employed students using CFCPI grants in the Public Interest Employer Database
- Review the PSJD web site for internships, postgraduate fellowships and permanent positions across over 11,000 organizations
Student Debt Relief Resources
Creighton Financial Aid Office – Dean Obenauer in the Financial Aid Office is available to provide advice to alumni regarding Income-Based Repayment (IBR) and Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) Programs, as well as other repayment options. Although IBR and PSLF are available only for federal student loans, they can help make monthly student loan payments more manageable. Contact Dean at deanobenauer@creighton.edu or 402-280-2731.
Equal Justice Works (EJW) - The Equal Justice Works web site contains wonderful resources that discuss student debt relief, including income-based repayment and public service loan forgiveness. EJW offers regular webinars discussing both programs.
IBRinfo.org - IBRinfo.org contains a plethora of information about the income-based repayment option, including a calculator useful for figuring monthly payments.
Pay As You Earn - The Pay As You Earn Repayment Plan helps keep your monthly student loan payments affordable, and usually has the lowest monthly payment amount of the repayment plans that are based on your income. If you need to make lower monthly payments, this plan may be for you.
Public Service Loan Forgiveness - The Department of Education offers the Employment Certification Form for Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF). Direct Loan borrowers who work in the public and nonprofit sectors can get confirmation that their job counts as qualifying employment for PSLF. Using this form can help track your eligibility, know when it’s time to apply for forgiveness and have the paperwork you need in hand.
The Employee and Employer Guide to Public Service Loan Forgiveness - authored by Heather Jarvis and the ABA.
State-Based LRAP Programs - This website contains information about the 23 state bar associations, including Iowa, that offer LRAP programs.
Heather Jarvis (Student Loan Expert) - Heather Jarvis is one of the nation’s leading authorities on income-based repayment and public service loan forgiveness. Her web site offers frequent webinars and a blog that shed light on what can be a confusing process.
