• 2019 Florida Bar Foundation Loan Repayment Assistance Program (LRAP) Application Form

  • Purpose: To strengthen and expand legal assistance for the poor by supporting the recruitment and retention of the most qualified civil legal aid staff attorneys (staff attorneys) who are employed by legal assistance organizations that receive grant funding from the Florida Bar Foundation for the provision of civil legal aid. Staff attorneys participating in the Loan Repayment Assistance Program (LRAP) are expected to use the funds to pay down and reduce their student loan debt.

    Definition: Staff Attorney is defined as an attorney employed by a Florida Bar Foundation funded civil legal aid organization on at least a 50% full-time basis; and is an attorney on staff who provides direct legal services to clients on behalf of the organization.

    Please see the 2019 LRAP Program Description for more information.

  • Helpful Documents: Click on the words "CLICK HERE" to download and save the following 3 documents: 1) the 2019 LRAP Program Description 2) an LRAP F.A.Q. sheet and 3) a blank/draft LRAP Application that you can use as a guide before you actually complete the live application.  When you click on the words Click Here, the document you are clicking on will open in a new window and will be a PDF file.  The PDF file is NOT the application.  You will need to click on the GO TO NEXT PAGE Button below to actually get to the live application.

    CLICK HERE FOR THE 2019 LRAP PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

    CLICK HERE FOR THE LRAP FAQ SHEET (PLEASE READ THIS DOCUMENT FIRST TO SEE IF THE QUESTION YOU MAY HAS BEEN ADDRESSED)

    CLICK HERE FOR A BLANK 2019 LRAP APPLICATION (THIS IS A SAMPLE FORM - NOT THE APPLICATION)

    CLICK ON GO TO NEXT PAGE TO GET TO THE ACTUAL APPLICATION.

  • BEFORE YOU START: If you stop the process mid-way, you will not be able to log back in and see your answers.  All of your data will be lost.  This means: you cannot start the online process and then come back to it later.  We suggest that you review the draft form that was attached to the email announcement and have all of the information that you will need to complete the online forms nearby. We also suggest that you use Firefox, Chrome, or Safari as your internet browser.

    HOW LONG WILL IT TAKE TO COMPLETE:  We expect it to take you no longer than 30-45 minutes to complete the online forms.

    WHAT IS THE DEADLINE:  5pm (EST) on FRIDAY, OCTOBER 19th, 2018

    Applications must be submitted online and must be submitted on or before the deadline.  Due to staffing and funding reductions at the FBF, we cannot extend the deadline or make exceptions for folks who miss the application period.  The Foundation has budgeted for up to 200 LRAP participants in 2019.  Applications will be taken on a first-come, first-served basis.  Priority will be given to current LRAP participants.

    Foundation staff will not be following up with individuals to let them know that they missed the application deadline or to find out why they didn't timely apply. It is YOUR RESPONSIBILITY to submit your application on or before the deadline.

    WHAT AM I DOING:  Staff attorneys employed at legal aid/legal services organizations are applying to be a participant in the 2019 LRAP program. PLEASE NOTE: Questions with a red asterisk (*) are required fields, you must provide an answer to move to the next question.

    2019 LRAP TIME PERIOD: The LRAP Loan Period is January 1 through December 31, 2019. Staff Attorneys who are employed full-time or at least 50% FTE basis (as determined by your employer) and who would like to participate and receive 2019 FBF LRAP loan benefits will answer questions related to:

    1) Your current employer

    2) Date and where you graduated from law school

    3) Your total student loan debt (undergrad, JD, & LLM)

    4) Specifics about your student loans

    5) The ability to receive your LRAP benefits through electronic deposit

    WHO DO I CONTACT FOR HELP:  Manuel Romero, Grants & Office Administrator by email: mromero@flabarfndn.org or by phone: 407-960-7000.  

    WHEN WILL I RECEIVE MY 2019 LRAP DISBURSEMENTS:

    1) The Foundation's Grants Committee and Board of Directors will make funding decisions on FBF staff's LRAP recommendations at their December 2018 meetings.

    2) We have budgeted for 200 LRAP participants. Applications will be taken on a first-come, first-served basis. If the Foundation receives more than 200 applications, the Foundation in its sole discretion, may determine that it cannot process or fund those additional applications.

    3) We expect to mail Promissory Notes to the selected 2019 LRAP participants in mid-to-late December 2018. 

    4)  We expect that the first 2019 LRAP disbursement will be made on or about February 15th, 2019. Disbursements will not be made until signed promissory notes are received at the Foundation.  The second 2018 LRAP disbursements will likely be made sometime in July 2019.

    After you submit your online LRAP application you will receive an email receipt confirming that your application has been submitted and received by the Foundation.  

    If you have any questions, please contact Manuel Romero by phone at: 407-960-7000, or by email at: (mromero@flabarfndn.org).

  • LRAP Applicant's Contact and Other Information

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  • PLEASE NOTE: If you DO NOT pay the full award amount of $5,000.00 towards your loan by December 31st, 2018, you WILL NOT qualify for the 2019 LRAP disbursment. The applications for the 2018 LRAP Forgiveness will be announced early January of 2019

  • 2019 LRAP APPLICATION

  • INELIGIBLE FOR LRAP

    STOP!  You indicated that you are working as either:

    1) a contract attorney, as determined by your employer; or

    2) you are an Equal Justice Works Fellow; or

    3) less than 50% full-time; or

    4) provide services other than direct civil legal services to clients.

    1.) Contract Attorneys are not eligible to receive benefits under the Foundation's LRAP program. (see Section 4, Eligibility Standards in the 2019 LRAP program description.)

    2.) Current Equal Justice Works Fellows receive LRAP through the Equal Justice Works organization. 

    3.) Staff attorneys must be employed either on a full-time basis or at least 50% FTE part time basis at a qualifying legal services organization.

    4.) Executive Directors and staff members who are attorneys by training but who otherwise perform administrative or other services primarily to benefit the organization are not eligible to participate in the Foundation’s LRAP. (see 2019 LRAP description for more information)

    Please contact Manuel Romero, Grants & Office Administrator if you have questions at: 407-960-7000 or by email at: mromero@flabarfndn.org

  • Eligible Student Loan Debt - and - Utilizing 2019 LRAP Loan Benefits

  • The purpose of the LRAP program is to help you pay down your student loan debt that is associated with obtaining your law degree. This includes undergrad, JD, and LLM degrees.  Each 2019 LRAP participant must be able to prove that during the period of January 1 - December 31, 2019 she/he used the entirety of his/her $5,000 in FBF LRAP benefits to pay down student loans that are directly related to obtaining a law degree.

    Please be aware that if you have student loans that are currently: 1) in a non-payment grace period; or 2) being deferred by your lender(s);  and/or  3) currently in forbearance by your lender(s) IT IS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY TO ENSURE that you will be able to spend the entirety of your 2019 LRAP loan benefits towards reducing your student loan debt.  

    If you have consolidated your student loans and are in a Public Service Loan Forgiveness payment program (Income-Based Repayment (IBR) Plan, Pay As You Earn Repayment Plan, or the Income-Contingent Repayment (ICR) Plan), IT IS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY TO ENSURE that you will be able to spend the entirety of your 2019 LRAP loan benefits toward reducing your student loan debt.

    If your annual required student loan payments are less than $5,000 per year, you will have to show proof that you used your "excess" LRAP loan benefits towards paying down your student loan debt that is directly related to obtaining your law degree (undergrad, JD, LLM degrees). If you do not spend the entire LRAP on your student loan debt, YOU WILL BE REQUIRED TO REPAY the LRAP loan benefits to the Foundation.

  • Student Loan Lender Information (Undergraduate, JD, and LLM degree loans)

  • Enter your monthly required student loan payments in the boxes below.  The REQUIRED payment amount is what the lender requires.  Some folks may pay more or less than the lender's required monthly payment - do not enter that amount.  ENTER THE PAYMENT AMOUNT THAT THE LENDER REQUIRES.  

    There are enough boxes for you to enter monthly payment amounts for 6 student loan lenders.  If you have less than 6 student loan lenders/monthly payments, leave the extra boxes blank.  If you have more than 6 student loan lenders for your undergrad, JD, and LLM degrees, then combine some of the monthly payments so that you get your total required monthly payment amounts into the 6 boxes.

  • Applicant's Certification as to: Truth, Completeness, and Understanding of LRAP Application; and Enforcement of Terms by the Florida Bar Foundation

  • In order for your LRAP application to be processed and considered by The Florida Bar Foundation, you must answer each of the following questions below.  Read each statement carefully before answering.  If you have questions, need clarification, or do not understand what a statement or statements mean, please feel free to contact Manuel Romero at the Foundation at: 407-960-7000 or by email at: mromero@flabarfndn.org.

    I CERTIFY AND AGREE THAT I HAVE READ EACH STATEMENT BELOW AND THE ANSWERS SUBMITTED ELECTRONICALLY IN THIS ONLINE APPLICATION ARE A TRUE AND CORRECT REPRESENTATION OF MY FLORIDA BAR FOUNDATION LRAP APPLICATION.

  • ELECTRONIC DEPOSITS

    Foundation Board Approved LRAP participants will need to provide the Foundation with personal banking information in order for this to happen in December. Banking information will be provided through a secure connection and will be kept confidential.

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  • 1. PRINT YOUR APPLICATION

    If you want to print your application, press the Print Form button before pressing the Submit My LRAP Application button below.

     
    2. REVIEW BEFORE YOU SUBMIT YOUR APPLICATION

    Before pressing the SUBMIT MY LRAP APPLICATION button below, please make sure to carefully review your application and verify that the information you have provided is true and correct.  

    You can click the Go Back button on each page to go back and review your answers. You will not  be able to change or edit your answers after you have submitted your online LRAP application.  

    3. EMAIL CONFIRMATION OF SUBMISSION

    You will receive an email confirmation from Jotform (the online software) confirming that your LRAP application has been submitted and received by the Foundation.

    CHECK YOUR SPAM before contacting the Foundation to see if your application was submitted.

    The confirmation email will also contain the entire LRAP application (including all of the questions in the application, some of which may have been "hidden" when you completed the application - depending on how you answered prior questions) and the answers that you submitted.  Do not be alarmed when you notice that the confirmation email contains some questions that you did not see or answer - because those questions are dependent questions and were hidden - or triggered to appear - based on your previous answers.  

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