OPIA Blog

Seton Hall Law School along with the Brazilian Voice, a Portuguese-language newspaper, have sued the Department of Homeland Security over documents which the two groups believe pertain to unlawful raids. The raids, performed against immigrant families in New Jersey, are thought to be unwarranted though Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokesman Mike Gilhooly maintains that a federal judge ordered the immigrants involved to be removed. The parties originally filed a request under the Freedom of Information Act but chose to sue after an expedited request was rejected by the DOHS. To read more, please click here.

As frustration with the legal profession grows, many young associates are becoming increasingly worn out. In response, many firms have started to change the way their businesses operates. Moving away from the classic model of billable hours, firms have introduced reduced annual hour quotas, adjustable salary and benefits packages dependent on merit rather than seniority and other innovations. Industry watcher and consultant Deborah Epstein Henry - founder of Flex-Time Lawyers - calls this phenomenon a “movement,” even if firms themselves are reluctant to see it as such. New plans furthermore call for schedules which allow associates to seek partnership at varying rates in order to prioritize family or leisure time, as well as extended leave for both new fathers and mothers. You can find out more from this New York Times article.

A recent USA Today article describes the legal tangle that has been left in the wake of the sub-prime mortgage scandal. With foreclosure rates reaching “historic” highs, state lawmakers in Iowa and across the country are struggling to provide households with assistance as well as to curb predatory lending. One proposed California measure would limit mortgage firms from misleading minority home buyers by requiring contract language to be in the lenders native tongue. However, the problem has gone beyond first-time buyers to include elderly low-income residents as well as middle-class home owners, with public interest lawyers frustrated by the sheer volume of case and the weak consumer protection laws. You can read more from this article here.