PSJD Public Interest News Digest – March 2, 2018
Sam Halpert, NALP Director of Public Service Initiatives
Hello there, interested public! The digest is a bit abbreviated this week, as I write to you from NALP’s Newer Professionals Forum. I look forward to putting what I’m learning here to work for all of you in the weeks and months ahead. (And if you’re at the conference, feel free to come find me!)
The big news this week involves a student loan tidbit you won’t want to miss! (Read below.)
Until next week,
Sam
Student Loans
- InsideHigherEd.com reported that “[t]he Department of Education signaled…that it is interested in tweaking the standards used for determining whether student loan debt can be discharged in bankruptcy.“
Access to Justice – Civil
- In San Francisco, CA, the interim Mayor unexpectedly announced his support for a legal fund that would create a right to counsel for deportation cases in the city.
Access to Justice – Criminal
- In Minnehaha County, SD, the public defender’s office warned that an increased focus in the county on drug arrests has created a staffing crisis that threatens its ability to represent defendants in homicide cases.
Law School News
- Kaplan reported that a survey revealed that over 30% of pre-law students were motivated to pursue law by the results of the 2016 election.
- UPenn Law received a $3 million dollar donation from Robert and Jane Toll, which it will put toward public interest scholarships and loan repayment assistance. [Full article behind paywall.]