Legal advocates and legislators, including Queens Assemblymember Claire Valdez, rally on the steps of Albany for the expansion of Higher Education Services Corporation program, and the District Attorney and Indigent Legal Services Attorney Loan Forgiveness program Photo courtesy of the Legal Aid Society
By Noah Powelson
As budget negotiations heat up in Albany, a group of legal aid advocates are making a push for legislation that would expand attorney student loan forgiveness.
A coalition of public defenders, district attorneys, legal service providers and labor unions held a rally on the steps of the state legislature on Wednesday, calling on Governor Kathy Hochul and lawmakers to include funding for two student loan assistance programs for attorneys in the upcoming budget. The groups called for an additional $4 million in funding for the Higher Education Services Corporation program, and the District Attorney and Indigent Legal Services Attorney Loan Forgiveness bill – otherwise known as the DALF.
The $4 million would go toward funding a bill sponsored by Queens State Senator Jessica Ramos and Brooklyn Assemblymember Jo Anne Simon that would expand the loan forgiveness award given to public service attorneys.
If enacted, the bill would increase student loan aid for public defenders, district attorneys and indigent legal service attorneys from $3,400 to $8,000 annually, for up to eight years; or a total award eligibility of up to $64,000.
The rally on Wednesday came a day after both the Senate and Assembly included the legislation – but not the additional $4 million – in their respective budget proposals.
In an open letter also published Wednesday, around 60 public defense organizations and DAs called on the governor, State Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, and Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie to include the bill into the final 2027 executive budget.
“Low salaries and high law school debt burdens mean that too often, it is impossible for attorneys to remain in these vital roles that serve fellow New Yorkers,” the letter read. “When attorneys turn to private sector jobs after being trained and gaining the skills to excel in these vital jobs, New Yorkers in need of their services are left behind as offices deal with larger caseloads and fewer experienced attorneys able to handle more complex cases.”
Legal Aid Society, Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz, Brooklyn Defender Services, the New York State Defenders Association and many others were among the letter’s signatories.
The bill has received growing support over the years since first being introduced in 2019. It’s been passed the State Senate almost unanimously for the past three years, garnering only one nay vote in 2025.
“Public defenders and prosecutors are essential to ensuring that our justice system works fairly and efficiently for every New Yorker,” Ramos said in a statement. “Yet too many talented attorneys are forced to leave public service because the burden of student loan debt makes these careers financially unsustainable. Expanding the HESC/DALF program is a practical investment in the people who uphold our justice system every day and who stand with our most vulnerable communities.”
Advocates say increasing loan assistance will help recruit and retain public sector and district attorneys who are desperately needed as the court systems still wrestle with court backlogs. Recruiting staff is often cited as the number one issue preventing legal organizations and institutions from meeting their obligations. Elected officials on Wednesday said expanding HESC and DALF would go a long way toward drawing qualified attorneys back into the public sector.
“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 in a statement. “This modest expansion of the student loan program ensures the stability of our courts and that talented public defenders and prosecutors can afford to stay in the careers they love.”
Student loan forgiveness is particularly important for attorneys, who are often eligible for less student loan forgiveness awards compared to other public sector employees like nurses or social workers.
“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,” Twyla Carter, attorney-in-chief and CEO at The Legal Aid Society, said in a statement.
The governor’s office did not respond to an inquiry for this story.
