2025 Equal Justice Conference

The student loan crisis disproportionately impacts women, low-income, and Black borrowers, but few borrowers have access to legal help. This session will explore how legal aid organizations can learn from established models, such as newer programs in California and New York, to develop a student loan practice to assist borrowers.

This interactive session will include reports on developments related to state/territorial legislative funding initiatives aimed at increasing resources for civil legal aid. Updates will be provided on the ABA's data collection to support funding efforts and on potential federal funding that might be available at the state/territorial or local levels. Participants will share developments in their states/territories in a roundtable format and learn from others about what has worked, and not worked, in raising state/territorial legislative funding and accessing potential federal funding.