Congratulations to our Morris M. Shuster Fellows
The Philadelphia Bar Foundation Gives Thousands to Help Attorneys Pay Student Debt
Through the Morris M. Shuster Public Interest Fellowship Program, the Philadelphia Bar Foundation provides a solution for a pressing need
PHILADELPHIA, PA – January 9, 2018 - The Philadelphia Bar Foundation is pleased to highlight the winners of their Morris M. Shuster Public Interest Fellowship, a program that provides educational loan repayment assistance in the form of forgivable loans to qualifying Philadelphia legal aid attorneys. In 2017, the Philadelphia Bar Foundation gave almost $17,000 in total to Katherine Burdick, Esq. of Juvenile Law Center, Stephanie Costa, Esq. of HIAS Pennsylvania, Steven Larin, Esq. of Nationalities Service Center and Elizabeth Yaeger, Esq. of HIAS Pennsylvania.
"Law school is a significant investment. The Philadelphia Bar Foundation has the ability to lessen the burden of student debt and that is an integral part of our mission to support the civil legal aid community. We aim to follow in the footsteps of Morris M. Shuster, Esq. and help public interest attorneys continue to serve Philadelphia’s families.” – Jessica Hilburn-Holmes, Executive Director of the Philadelphia Bar Foundation.
Upon graduation, public interest attorneys find that their commitment is threatened by looming law school debt. In an exceptional philanthropic response to this problem, Morris M. Shuster, Esq. worked with the Philadelphia Bar Foundation to establish a Named Endowed Fund. Since 2003, the Morris M. Shuster Fellowship program has provided more than 30 legal aid attorneys with awards totaling over $160,000 to help retire their law school debt.
The Philadelphia Bar Foundation is dedicated to promoting access to justice for all people in the community, particularly those struggling with poverty, abuse, and discrimination. We accomplish this mission by providing grants and technical assistance in support of quality legal services, addressing unmet legal needs and providing education on matters in the public interest. Through our various programs, services and partnerships, we remove barriers to justice, engage the community to support legal aid, and build system-wide capacity. www.philabarfoundation.org
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