The reduction of the federal funds rate was viewed by many businesses, interest groups, and politicians as a good thing. A way to inject some confidence into the economy and a way to stave off further economic turmoil. In an odd and perhaps unintended consequence of the cut of these interest rates, legal aid services around the country have been hit hard and are being forced to cut back services and staff, in many instances up to 20%.
Reported by the New York Times just a week ago, legal aid services had benefited greatly from the revenue from the interest rates that have now been cut. “Legal aid groups have long benefited from little-known programs that draw interest earned from short-term deposits that lawyers hold in trust for clients during, for example, real estate transactions or personal injury payouts. The interest is mainly donated to legal services for the poor.”
The article highlights this situation through the story of boat technician Jim Vedrani of Massachusetts, who was let go from his job and subsequently started to receive unemployment benefits. He soon found work on a farm but quickly left after finding his boss emotionally abusive. He applied to have his unemployment benefits reinstated but lost–in large part because the legal aid organization he wanted to enlist to defend him, Neighborhood Legal Services, did have the manpower to defend him.
To read the article in full, click here.
January 25th, 2009
Posted by
opia |
Uncategorized |
1 Comment
The Justice Department’s Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) and the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) released their 67-page report outlining cases of discrimination and politicized appointments in the DOJ Civil Rights Division’s hiring practices.
The report focuses particularly on the work by a former principal deputy attorney general in the Civil Rights Division, Mr. Bradley Schlozman. The report details emails written by Mr. Schlozman as well as interviews that showcase a discriminating lense through which Mr. Schlozman hired and promoted lawyers within the Civil Rights Division.
To read the article, visit the link here.
The full report can be found here.
January 15th, 2009
Posted by
opia |
News, Uncategorized |
1 Comment
For those law students who put their fraternity hazing rituals on their facebook page or those who put revealing spring break to Cancun on your MySpace page, you might want to think long and hard about what exactly you should and should not reveal on your online social networking sites.
These two articles, one from law.com and the other from the San Francisco Chronicle, explore some of the potential pitfalls, dangers, and repercussions of using the site as more that a way to connect or re-connect with family and friends.
The Law.com article discusses a case where an intern at the San Francisco’s Public Defender’s Office wrote on her MySpace page about possible ethnic discrimination on the part of the defender’s office.
To read the full article, click here.
The other article discusses some general guidelines on how to use sites such as facebook and MySpace. The article can be read by clicking on this link.
January 15th, 2009
Posted by
opia |
News |
1 Comment
Kenneth Zimmerman ‘88, former Chief Counsel to New Jersey Governor Jon S. Corzine and a current partner with the firm Lowenstein Sandler PC which has offices in Boston, New York, Palo Alto, and Roseland NJ, has been chosen to lead the firm’s new public interest center which it opened at the end of October.
The center will oversee the entire firm’s pro bono efforts and hopes to expand upon its commitment to “addressing significant social issues and provide community assistance.” The firm stated in a press release.
As part of the program, five associates working at Lowenstein Sandler will dedicate 25 percent of their time to the Center’s projects and help spearhead the firm’s overall pro bono efforts, which in 2007 involved some 230 lawyers and totaled nearly 19,000 hours of attorney and paralegal participation.
To read the press release, follow this link.
Click on this link to visit the firm’s website.
for more information about Ken Zimmerman, click here.
January 8th, 2009
Posted by
opia |
Alumni, News, Pro Bono |
1 Comment