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STATE OF MAINE
_____
IN THE YEAR OF OUR LORD
TWO THOUSAND TWENTY-FIVE
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H.P. 1126 - L.D. 1691
An Act to Expand Access to Justice in Rural Maine by Incentivizing
Attorneys to Practice in Underserved Areas
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1. 20-A MRSA c. 426-A is enacted to read:
CHAPTER 426-A
ACCESS TO JUSTICE LOAN PROGRAM
§12311. Definitions
As used in this chapter, unless the context otherwise indicates, the following terms
have the following meanings.
1. Authority. "Authority" means the Finance Authority of Maine.
2. Fund. "Fund" means the Access to Justice Loan Program Revolving Fund
established in section 12313.
3. Maine resident. "Maine resident" means a person who, at the time the person
submits an application for participation in the program, has been a resident of this State,
for purposes other than enrolling in an accredited law school, for a minimum of 2 years and
who satisfies any other criteria adopted by the authority by rule.
In adopting other criteria by rule, the authority shall, at a minimum, consider the following:
A. The length of a person's residence in the State for purposes other than enrolling in
an accredited law school;
B. The secondary school attended by a person;
C. The legal residence of the parents of a person;
D. A person's place of voting registration, if registered to vote; and
E. The jurisdictions to which a person pays income or other taxes.
LAW WITHOUT
GOVERNOR'S
SIGNATURE
JANUARY 11, 2026
CHAPTER
508
PUBLIC LAW
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4. Program. "Program" means the Access to Justice Loan Program established in
section 12312.
5. Underserved area. "Underserved area" means an area in the State, as determined
by the authority, in which there is an insufficient number of licensed and practicing
attorneys to satisfy the significant and unmet need for legal services of the individuals
residing in that area.
§12312. Access to Justice Loan Program
1. Establishment. The Access to Justice Loan Program is established within and
under the administration of the authority to annually, as funds permit, award loans to and
enter into loan repayment agreements with eligible persons.
2. Eligibility. A person is eligible to participate in the program if the person:
A. Is a Maine resident;
B. Meets one of the following educational and financial criteria:
(1) Is enrolled or intends to enroll in an accredited law school and demonstrates
financial need; or
(2) Has graduated from an accredited law school within the 5 years prior to
applying to the program, is licensed or eligible to be licensed to practice law in the
State and has outstanding law school loans;
C. Demonstrates an interest in or commitment to providing legal services in an
underserved area; and
D. Meets other eligibility criteria established by the authority.
3. Funding options available; maximum amounts. As funds permit, the authority
shall award loans to eligible applicants who meet the criteria in subsection 2, paragraph B,
subparagraph (1) and shall enter into loan repayment agreements with eligible applicants
who meet the criteria in subsection 2, paragraph B, subparagraph (2). The maximum loan
or loan repayment amount available to each program participant is $25,000 per year for a
period of up to 4 years.
4. Loan agreement; forgiveness. An eligible applicant who meets the criteria in
subsection 2, paragraph B, subparagraph (1) and is awarded a loan shall enter into a loan
agreement as set out in this subsection.
A. Except as otherwise provided in this section, upon completion of the loan recipient's
law school education, the recipient shall repay the loan as follows.
(1) If the loan recipient does not obtain loan forgiveness pursuant to subparagraph
(2), the recipient shall repay the entire principal of the loan plus simple interest at
a rate to be determined by the authority by rule. Interest may not begin to accrue
on the loan until the loan recipient completes, withdraws from or otherwise fails to
continue the recipient's law school education.
(2) A loan recipient who, upon conclusion of the recipient's law school education
elects to offer legal services in an underserved area is forgiven 25% of the original
outstanding indebtedness for each year the recipient offers those services.
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B. Loans must be repaid over a term not longer than 10 years, except that the authority
may extend the term of a loan recipient's loan as necessary to ensure repayment.
Repayment must commence when the loan recipient completes, withdraws from or
otherwise fails to continue the recipient's law school education.
5. Loan repayment agreement. An eligible applicant who meets the criteria in
subsection 2, paragraph B, subparagraph (2) and enters into a loan repayment agreement
receives payment from the authority on the recipient's outstanding indebtedness for law
school education at a rate of $25,000 for each year, up to a maximum of 4 years, that the
recipient continues to offer legal services in an underserved area.
6. Default. Except as provided in subsection 7, a loan recipient under subsection 4
who agrees to offer legal services in an underserved area and who fails to complete the
period of service required to pay off the loan pursuant to subsection 4, paragraph A,
subparagraph (2) is liable to the authority for an amount equal to the sum of the total amount
paid by or on behalf of the authority to or on behalf of the recipient under the loan
agreement plus interest at a rate determined by the authority. The authority shall award a
loan recipient credit for offering legal services in an underserved area for each consecutive
12-month period that the recipient offers those services.
A loan recipient may petition the authority for permission to default without penalty from
a loan agreement to provide legal services in an underserved area. Upon receipt of such
petition, the authority may provide the loan recipient permission to default without penalty
based on catastrophic or other circumstances that prevent the recipient from offering legal
services in an underserved area for the required period of time. In the case of a default
permitted by the authority, the loan recipient must receive credit for the number of months
served and shall repay to the authority in cash payments under the terms of the original
loan agreement the remaining financial obligation plus interest.
7. Deferments. The authority may grant a loan recipient under subsection 4 a
deferment on repayment of a loan under the program for causes established by the authority
by rule. The authority shall assess interest on the loan during the deferment at a rate to be
determined by the authority by rule. A loan recipient shall repay the recipient's total
financial obligation to the authority, including principal and interest, through return service
or cash payments.
8. Rules. The authority may adopt rules as necessary for the implementation and
administration of the program. Rules adopted pursuant to this subsection are routine
technical rules as defined in Title 5, chapter 375, subchapter 2-A.
§12313. Access to Justice Loan Program Revolving Fund
1. Fund established. The Access to Justice Loan Program Revolving Fund is
established as a nonlapsing, interest-earning, revolving fund within and under the
jurisdiction of the authority to carry out the purposes of the program. The fund must be
administered in accordance with the following.
A. Any unexpended balance in the fund carries over for continued use under this
chapter.
B. The authority may receive, invest and expend, on behalf of the fund, money from
gifts, grants, bequests and donations in addition to money appropriated or allocated by
the State.
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C. Loan repayments by recipients of loans under this chapter or other repayments to
the authority must be invested by the authority, as provided by law, with the earned
income to be added to the fund.
D. Money received by the authority on behalf of the fund, except interest income, must
be used for the designated purpose of awarding loans and entering into loan repayment
agreements under the program; interest income may be used for the designated
purposes of the program or to pay student financial assistance administrative costs
incurred by the authority for the operation of the program.
2. Allocation of repayments. The authority may reallocate a portion of the annual
loan repayments under subsection 1, paragraph C for the purpose of recruiting law school
students and recent law school graduates to offer legal services in underserved areas. That
portion may be used:
A. In accordance with criteria established by the authority, to encourage law school
students and recent law school graduates to offer legal services in underserved areas;
or
B. To repay education loans for the law school education of licensed attorneys to enable
the attorneys to offer legal services in underserved areas in accordance with section
12312, subsection 5.
3. Rules. The authority may adopt rules as necessary for the implementation and
administration of the fund. Rules adopted pursuant to this subsection are routine technical
rules as defined in Title 5, chapter 375, subchapter 2-A.
§12314. Stakeholder consultation
In implementing, administering and assessing the effectiveness of the program and the
fund, the authority shall consult with the University of Maine System and may engage
additional stakeholders from the legal community, including, but not limited to,
representatives of legal education communities and legal practice communities in the State
and organizations representing the interests of underserved areas in the State.
Sec. 2. Establishment of rural practice track at University of Maine School
of Law; report. In accordance with the requirements of this section and to the extent
sufficient funding is available, the University of Maine System shall establish at the
University of Maine School of Law a rural practice track.
1. The rural practice track must support the practice of law in underserved areas in the
State by:
A. Attracting and selecting, through recruitment and other measures, qualified law
school applicants from rural and underserved areas in the State who demonstrate a
commitment to and aptitude for practicing law in those areas upon graduation;
B. Placing or otherwise connecting enrolled and qualified law school students with
internships, externships and other professional opportunities with organizations and
other entities that provide legal services to individuals in underserved areas in the State;
C. Placing or otherwise connecting recent qualified law school graduates with
employment or other professional opportunities providing legal services to individuals
in underserved areas in the State; and
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D. Encouraging collaboration between the school of law and secondary school
students, undergraduate school students and other individuals in underserved areas in
the State, as well as with organizations and other entities that provide legal services to
individuals in those areas.
2. The school of law shall administer the rural practice track and develop and
implement guidelines, policies and procedures for the operation of the track and for staff
and students participating in the track. The school of law may accept gifts, bequests and
endowments, as well as federal, private and other grants or donations, to support the
objectives of the rural practice track. In administering the rural practice track, the school
of law must:
A. Provide, in each academic year, a housing stipend sufficient to cover the cost of
dormitory housing at the University of Southern Maine for up to 6 first-year or
2nd-year law school students who reside in underserved areas in the State or who have
demonstrated a commitment to and aptitude for practicing law in those areas upon
graduation, as determined by the school of law;
B. Provide, in each semester of the academic year and over the summer, internship,
externship and other professional opportunities with organizations and other entities
that provide legal services to individuals in underserved areas in the State for up to 6
2nd-year or 3rd-year law school students who reside in underserved areas in the State
or who have demonstrated a commitment to and aptitude for practicing law in those
areas upon graduation, as determined by the school of law;
C. Develop and implement a comprehensive marketing and communications plan to
recruit and retain students from underserved areas in the State who demonstrate a
commitment to and aptitude for practicing law in those areas upon graduation and
support the placement or other employment of law school students and recent graduates
in those areas; and
D. Collaborate as necessary with the Finance Authority of Maine in its development,
implementation and administration of the Access to Justice Loan Program established
under the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 20-A, section 12312.
No later than January 1, 2026, the University of Maine System shall submit a report to
the Joint Standing Committee on Education and Cultural Affairs and to the Joint Standing
Committee on Judiciary outlining its plan for implementation of the rural practice track at
the University of Maine School of Law, including any recommendations for legislative or
other action. After reviewing the report, either committee may report out legislation related
to the report to the Second Regular Session of the 132nd Legislature.
Sec. 3. Appropriations and allocations. The following appropriations and
allocations are made.
FINANCE AUTHORITY OF MAINE
Access to Justice Loan Program Revolving Fund N541
Initiative: Provides base allocations to authorize the expenditure of funds received for the
Access to Justice Loan Program.
OTHER SPECIAL REVENUE FUNDS 2025-26 2026-27
All Other $500 $500
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OTHER SPECIAL REVENUE FUNDS TOTAL $500 $500