Unmanageable student debt is a growing social problem in the commonwealth. For many low-income borrowers, student debt prevents them from taking care of themselves and their families. The Bankruptcy Code provides for the discharge of student debt — but only upon a showing of “undue hardship” on the student borrower and his or her dependents.
Recognizing that the student borrowers most likely to be eligible for an “undue hardship” discharge in bankruptcy will not have the resources to hire a trial lawyer, the Massachusetts Bar Association, in partnership with the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office and the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce’s Student Debt Working Group, has established a panel of pro bono attorneys and law firms willing to represent student borrowers in adversary proceedings seeking to discharge student debt in their bankruptcy cases.
The MBA hosted a reception to launch the Student Loan Bankruptcy Assistance Project on Wednesday, Jan. 24. Reception remarks were provided by program co-chair Francis C. Morrissey; Attorney General Maura T. Healey; John Rao, National Consumer Law Center; and Jim Rooney, CEO, Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce.
Are you an attorney interested in providing pro bono services to student loan borrowers seeking to discharge student debt in bankruptcy? Visit www.massbar.org/studentloan to learn more about the program and to contact program co-chairs Francis C. Morrissey and Michael J. Fencer.