The Inspector General in the Department of the Interior has a tough job ahead of him. Earl A. Devaney, Obama’s newly appointed IG for the Department of the Interior, is charged with catching any slip-ups, negligence and wrong-doing with the federal stimulus money. A particularly tough task given what has recently happened at AIG. The trickier part is that he has to try to do this before any of it happens.
Devaney chairs the Recovery Accountability and Transparency Board–RAT–to prevent any federal waste. Because of the size of the stimulus bill and the required oversight to manage it, this project is unprecedented in American history.
The Washington Post article goes on to explain what the RAT Board is charged with and how much oversight relies upon the effectiveness of already existing agencies; perhaps being more effective than they have in years past. “The RAT Board is a grand experiment in government oversight. Made up of inspectors general from across the government, it is tasked with coordinating with overseers in federal, state and local governments to detect and prevent fraud, waste and abuse of stimulus money. But while most inspectors general are skilled at examining fraudulent activities through audits or criminal investigations, the RAT Board’s priority is to install preventive measures to ensure that no fraud occurs in the first place.”
March 26th, 2009
Posted by
opia |
News |
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What is being done to address the issue of immigration (both legal and illegal) in New York City? This New York Times article highlights some of the problems occurring in the immigration law community in New York. Robert A. Katzmann, a federal judge on the Second Circuit Court of Appeals, lead a “working colloquium” on the subject of immigration law and how to better connect the immigrant community and the legal community. Lawyers from all arenas of law (judges, big firm attorneys, legal service lawyers) showed up to this colloquium to discuss these issues. Many were on the same level and agreed that immigration law needs some fixing.
A big problem is the workload required of the immigration attorneys and judges–making it hard to
devote a great deal of time to any one immigrant’s case. Take the Varick detention center mentioned in the Times article. The center, operated for Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which is part of Homeland Security, has had a spotty past and precarious future. The article mentions that “leaders of the fledgling legal triage program said it has only enough volunteers to talk privately with a dozen of the 250 men held there, a few subway stops from federal and state courthouses and the skyscraping headquarters of international legal firms. Hundreds more immigrant New Yorkers are detained in New Jersey jails where few or no free lawyers visit regularly.”
On top of that, judges and attorneys are dealing with massive case loads of which many should not be on their docket.
The legal imbalance is clear. The writer points out that “studies show immigrants with legal representation are three to four times more likely to win their case, yet nationwide, only about 35 percent have any kind of lawyer.”
March 25th, 2009
Posted by
opia |
News, Pro Bono |
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The recession has presented many financial gray areas for law firms across the country and, by extension, 3Ls who were expecting to start at a firm in 2009. Some students from HLS recently got word that the law firm that recently hired them is deferring their start to 2010. The question remains: How and who will manage their volunteer placements?
A recent article on American Lawyer highlighted what issues firms are dealing with and what exactly is being done to address the issue. Just last week the Association of Pro Bono Counsel held a conference call with roughly 40 public service law group leaders and law firm pro bono coordinators to figure out how to manage training and placing these new lawyers.
Questions are involved and require a lot of detailed analysis and are complicated by the amount of deferred starts. As the article explains, “Law firm are structuring their programs with differing requirements, covered costs, and degrees of involvement in the nonprofit job search. The deferrals themselves are required at some firms, including Morgan, Lewis & Bockius–the firm will bring its 2009 first-years onboard in October 2010. White & Case has announced delayed start dates into 2010 for 60 percent of its 2009 hires. Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe and Latham & Watkins have announced an optional fall 2010 start date.”
This is about job placement and, as one school career services official put it, “A lot of students are worried…that at the end of the road, the firms still will not have a position for them,”
To read the full article, click here.
March 25th, 2009
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Uncategorized |
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Graduating seniors generally face great career uncertainty when they finish college. Now with the economic recession, more questions are arising as to what opportunities exist in the job market now and in ones that will exist in the future.
Just a years ago, there were jobs with banks that paid handsomely and required 100-hour work weeks. Now, however, these jobs are not on the market and students are looking to pursue different avenues. That may turn out to be a good thing for public service, according to this Boston Globe article.
“There’s always that push to make money and be comfortable, but the financial crisis made me think that there’s a lot more in life than going to get that corporate job,” said Matthew Clair, a Harvard government major who will spend the next two years teaching at an Atlanta primary school. “It gave me a good excuse to take some more time off to do what I’m really passionate about.”
Statistics from the National Association from Colleges and Employers show that the anticipated hiring rate for the 2009 graduating class will drop over 21% from 2008. Statistics also show that there is an anticipated increase in Teach for America applicants. One can imagine the applicants for the City Year program will see an increase as well. So, while there is a deepening economic recession, there appears to be an increasing appeal to the idea of committing to public service.
March 18th, 2009
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opia |
Faculty, Resources |
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