The Illinois State Bar Association formed a Special Committee on the Impact of Law School Debt on the Delivery of Legal Services, which just released a 54-page report. Report here The report including the following on threats to professionalism on Page 2 (Pages 29-31 discusses these concerns further):
Threats to Professionalism: The Special Committee heard much anecdotal evidence
suggesting that attorneys with heavy debt loads may be more likely to commit ethics
violations. The greatest pressures are on solo practitioners, who may take work
beyond their level of competency, face financial pressures to prolong litigation, or
terminate a representation inappropriately if a client has difficulty paying. Evidence
from the Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission does not yet show an
increase in ethics violations among lawyers with heavy debt loads. Nonetheless, this
data may be a lagging indicator of a problem that is already developing.