PSJD Public Interest News Digest – October 13, 2017
Sam Halpert, NALP Director of Public Service Initiatives
Hello there, interested public! It’s Friday again, and our world has been pretty busy this week–particularly in relation to student loans and structural issues related to public defender services. To see what I mean, read on!
Until next week,
Sam
Student Loans & Consumer Law
- Student loan servicer Navient responded in a public statement to the recent lawsuit commenced by the Pennsylvania Attorney General alleging it violated federal and state consumer protection laws, saying “the allegations are completely unfounded and the case was filed without any review of Pennsylvania residents’ customer accounts.”
- Meanwhile, a class action against Navient is proceeding alleging that the company has been disguising certain loans which are dischargeable in bankruptcy proceedings–including bar exam loans–as non-dischargeable ones.
- A writer in the ABA Journal noted that the Department of Education’s recently-released statistics on student loan default rates aggregate data at the university level–obscuring the default rate for law schools that do not operate as independent institutions.
- A study from University of Pennsylvania and Ryerson University economists found that student loans are more likely to negatively affect female lawyers; among other consequences they are more likely to stay in private sector jobs. They also concluded that the current program offering complete loan forgiveness after a decade does not address this gender disparity.
- Over 175 Harvard Law School students and alumni called on their school to improve its “Low Income Protection Plan,” which they say compares unfavorably to similar public service loan relief programs at Yale and Stanford.
- Osgoode Hall Law School has launched Canada’s first Investor Protection Clinic.
Conflict on Campus
- Texas Southern University’s decision to cancel a Federalist Society-planned lecture at Thurgood Marshall Law School sparked public conflict between members of the Texas legislature and a debate about university policy.
- In a session open to law students, faculty, and staff only, University of Pennsylvania professor Amy Wax delivered a lecture entitled “Stop Saying That: Dissent and Disagreement at Penn Law,” responding to the widespread backlash against her recent op-ed column published on Philly.com.
Law & Technology
- Gillian Hadfield called for broadening our professional conversation concerning the future of legal services beyond the realm of BigLaw to consider how legal technologies can help ordinary citizens.
- The Legal Services Commission of South Australia launched a 24-hour digital legal services program.
- A former state and federal prosecutor has called for greater public debate as law enforcement agencies begin to adopt iris scanning tools.
Pro Bono
- The New Jersey Law Journal’s Editorial Board anticipates that Judge Posner’s recent retirement from the bench may spur growth in voluntary pro bono programs.
- The Taproot Foundation mediated a conversation on the value of pro bono work as a strategy for building leadership skills.
- George Mason’s Antonin Scalia Law School co-authored a report on the experiences of non-profit board members: why they serve, how they are called upon to assist their organizations, and what they believe they need to be successful.
Disaster Response
- The Legal Aid Society of Southern Nevada and the State Bar of Nevada announced they will provide free civil legal aid to victims of the recent mass shooting at Nevada’s Route 91 Harvest Festival.
- Three Columbia Law students from Puerto Rico organized a volunteer “Legal Corps for Puerto Rico.”
Civil Justice
- A pilot project in Ontario courts has improved access to justice for the province’s Francophone population.
- Alberta justice officials spoke in defense of their proposal to require up-front fees from legal aid clients, explaining that their plan would include safeguards for individuals unable to pay.
- The City of Winnipeg ordered a thorough review of its Law Department after the failure of a high-profile lawsuit aiming to recover tens of millions of dollars from city contractors.
Criminal Justice
- The New Mexico Supreme Court unanimously denied a petition from the state’s Chief Public Defender seeking to limit or reduce PD caseloads; the Chief Public Defender intends to continue filing protests in district courts on a case-by-case basis.
- In the wake of the Missouri Supreme Court’s decision last month to suspend the license of an overburdened public defender, public defenders throughout the state are refusing to accept additional clients. One Missouri PD has suggested the court might look to other attorneys in the employ of the state, “such as those who work for the various departments, agencies, legislative research[,etc.].”
- A New York Daily News columnist called on the New York State legislature to redress how “current laws in New York allow a prosecutor to withhold evidence and even lie about it with few consequences.”
- The city of Mukilteowa, WA has issued an RFP for public defender services.
- In a profile focused on South Carolina, the New York Times called attention to how defendants facing misdemeanor charges often go without court-appointed representation. The ACLU is challenging the practice in South Carolina, and also in Florida.
- “A Delaware judicial commission is asking police officers, probation officers and the public to share their opinions on the state’s judicial system.”
Music Bonus!
This week, it’s a classic film bonus also!