Eligible Employment

Participants must be full-time, paid employees (working 35 hours or more each week) in eligible positions, as defined below.  Graduates in unpaid positions, such as internships or volunteer positions, are ineligible to receive benefits under the Program. 

Eligible positions include those in (a) federal, state, and local governmental units (“governmental unit”), or (b) domestic section 501(c)(3) and other not-for-profit organizations, or (c) international non-governmental organizations under the direction of a governmental unit or a section 501(c)(3).  Eligible positions must “involve law,” as determined by the Program Administrator.  Such positions:

• Generally require the employee to use his or her legal training to a significant degree; or
• Are often held by members of the legal profession; or
• Generally have a minimal educational requirement of a JD degree.

Policy jobs in government and non-profits are considered LRAP-eligible employment.  Applicants working at for-profit organizations may be eligible to participate in the Program but require special review and approval by the Program Administrator to determine whether the position is intended to further the practice of law in the public interest.  It is expected that at least 51% of the work being done by the organization and graduate will serve underrepresented populations.

Applicants who are self-employed require special review.  Each self-employment situation is unique and requires individual approval by the Program Administrator.

Some examples of LRAP-eligible employment are:  attorney or public policy positions in 501(c)(3) organizations and other non-profits or government agencies, legal services organizations, labor unions, and NGOs.  We have participants working at a broad range of organizations.  Following are just a few of the organizations where our graduates have worked:

Advocates for Children of New York Alaska Department of Law American Bar Association American Civil Liberties Union Bronx Defenders Broward County Public Defender Center for Appellate Litigation Center for Death Penalty Litigation Center for Family Representation Defender Association of Philadelphia Department of Consumer and Business Services Fair Trial Initiative Federal Public Defender, Capital Habeas Unit Human Rights Watch Illinois Attorney General Immigrant Defense Project Legal Aid Society Miami-Dade County Public Defender

National Immigration Project of National Lawyers Guild National Women's Law Center Natural Resources Defense Council Neighborhood Defender Service of Harlem New York County District Attorney's Office New York Legal Assistance Group Social Justice Fund South Brooklyn Legal Services Southern Poverty Law Center The International Legal Foundation U.S. Environmental Protection Agency U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission U.S.-Asia Law Institute at NYU School of Law U.S. Commission on Civil Rights U.S. Air Force JAG Corps U.S. Army JAG Corps Washington Square Legal Services, Inc. World Resources Institute

 

Solo practitioners or attorneys at private public interest law firms may also be eligible for LRAP benefits provided at least 51% of the attorney’s work is for indigent or underrepresented populations, or those who are otherwise unable to afford legal representation.  Such positions are subject to the approval of the LRAP administrator.

Some examples of employment that are ineligible for LRAP benefits are:  Politically partisan employment, an LSAT instructor, entities organized under section 527 of the U.S. Tax Code, and public school teachers.

The above does not represent a comprehensive list of eligible and ineligible positions.  If you have questions about whether a particular position is LRAP-eligible, please contact the Office of Student Financial Services atlaw.lrap@nyu.edu or (212) 998-6050.