I have a pretty old private loan debt that I have been trying to deal with for about 15 years. To make a long story short, it has recently gone into collection because I had defaulted previously, became current (although I was only paying a small amount every month and not actually paying the debt down) and recently missed a payment for reasons that were out of my control.
They are now willing to settle with me for what is a good deal on the debt, but the problem is that I still don’t have a way to get/pay for a loan of that amount. I am looking into a second mortgage, but I have my doubts that it will be a possibility based on my income and that I have only owned my house for 2 years.
My question is about what my options are. I want to make sure that I don’t get myself into a situation where I can’t make payments and default again or have wages garnished that I can’t afford to have garnished.
I think I MAY be a candidate for having it discharged because I work for a non-profit, the debt is pretty old and I didn’t actually benefit from the student loan for reasons that I will not go into here. I am debating on whether to seek legal advice but I am not even sure who I would talk to. Any suggestions?

I am a member of the National Association of Consumer Advocates, and I recommend you look for a qualified attorney there: http://www.naca.net/

Unfortunately, private loans are not eligible for Public Service Loan Forgiveness!