Plan would repay Oklahoma prosecutors', public defenders' school debt

From Staff and Wire Reports

Published: August 12, 2008

Patrick Quillian's decision to move into private practice wasn't just about money.

But it might have been easier for the former Oklahoma County prosecutor to resist the lure of a higher salary if he had gotten some relief from his student loan debt.

Federal legislation awaiting President Bush's signature will allow Oklahoma prosecutors and public defenders to retain more qualified, dedicated attorneys who are saddled with law school debt, legal officials say.

The John R. Justice Prosecutors and Defenders Act would repay up to $60,000 in law school loans for lawyers who agree to work as a prosecutor or public defender for at least three years.

Participants in the program would be limited to $10,000 in government repayment during any year, up to the overall maximum.

Quillian said the program might have forestalled his move into private practice.

He joined the Pringle and Pringle law firm in July after nearly three years with the Oklahoma County district attorney's office. He went from prosecuting gang members to scrutinizing banking regulations.

Quillian called his time as a prosecutor an "awesome experience,” but his salary as a public servant made it tough for him to pay off his $45,000 debt for law school at Oklahoma City University.

His new job, which he called the right opportunity for him, pays more and gives him a better chance to increase his salary in the future, he said.

Oklahoma County Public Defender Robert Ravitz and District Attorney David Prater both say the measure will help them keep lawyers who otherwise might find themselves having to go into higher-paying private practice jobs to pay down their loans.

"After a year or two, for really top-notch people, we can't match anywhere close to the salaries they'll make in private firms,” Ravitz said.

"A lot of good people have flat-out told me, ‘We love working here, but our student loans are such that, even though we're willing to work for less money because we like doing what we're doing, we can't afford to live in a decent apartment or a decent house.'”

He said an entry-level public defender in his office is paid $38,000 a year.

"The real problem is the two- to four-year lawyer that in my office is maybe making $42,000 or $43,000 or $44,000, where in private practice, they might be making $50,000 or $55,000 or even higher,” he said.

Prater said the measure would benefit his office in both recruitment and retention, although he has been able to attract outstanding law graduates to serve as assistant district attorneys.

Prater said an entry-level attorney salary in his office for a new attorney who has just passed the bar examination is $37,500. After three years, the district attorney said, salaries go up to about $48,000.

Phillips, another former prosecutor, said he was spending half of his monthly salary to pay on his $167,000 law school debt. He said he hopes to pay off some of that debt as a private attorney, paving the way for a return to the district attorney's office.

"I would have never left if they had a program like that,” Phillips said of the bill awaiting the president's signature.

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