Sam Halpert, NALP Director of Public Service Initiatives

Hello, interested public! We’re back with another week of news from the world of public service law. The biggest story this week concerns an attempt to restructure public defender work in the state of Louisiana. This story and others are in the links below.

Sam

Student Loans & Student Debt

• More Lawyers Working In Public Service Are Starting To See Their Student Loans Vanish Thanks To The Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program (Above the Law; 21 Feb 2024)

• Biden Forgives Another $1.2 Billion in Student Loans (Inside Higher Ed; 22 Feb 2024)

Non-Profit & Government Management & Hiring

• Northwest Workers Justice Project recognizes union (Northwest Labor Press; 19 Feb 2024)

• AG Ken Paxton moves to shut down Catholic border nonprofit that helps migrants (Houston Chronicle; 21 Feb 2024)

• [Georgia] Bill would exclude some nonprofit data from open records laws (21 Feb 2024)

Access to Justice – Civil & Economic

• NY Governor Drops Plan to Remove $100M From Fund for Low-Income Civil Litigants (Law.com; 16 Feb 2024)

• Free legal aid a ‘game-changer’ for those fleeing family violence in B.C. (The Abbotsford News; 16 Feb 2024)

• Eviction Filings in Major Texas Cities Soar Above Pre-Pandemic Levels: Legal aid groups and housing advocates say there simply aren’t enough lawyers to keep up with eviction filings. (The Texas Tribune; 19 Feb 2024)

• A move to provide renters facing eviction with free legal counsel gains support in Winston-Salem [North Carolina] (NC Newsline; 20 Feb 2024)

• Alberta government increases eligibility guidelines for Legal Aid (Morinville News; 20 Feb 2024)

• Alaska Senate Champions Low-Income Seniors and Legal Aid in Sweeping Legislation (BBN; 22 Feb 2024)

• Dwindling attorney numbers in rural America threaten access to justice (KTVO; 21 Feb 2024)

• New York City Council joins lawsuit against Mayor Adams over housing vouchers (WNYC; 21 Feb 2024)

• City Council paves the way for tenants’ right to counsel, celebrates Black History Month (The Scope Boston; 21 Feb 2024)

• [California] Feds seek Parliamentary approval to spend $28 million more on legal aid for immigrants & refugees (Law360 Canada; 21 Feb 2024)

Access to Justice – Criminal

• [Louiana Gov.] Jeff Landry seeks control of public defense, aims to replace state board with appointee (NOLA.com; 19 Feb 2024)

  • Proposed Louisiana public defender overhaul is a power grab, critics say (Louisiana Illuminator; 19 Feb 2024)

• Hundreds of San Francisco criminal cases dismissed after years of delays (The San Francisco Standard; 19 Feb 2024)

• A Unanimous Step Forward: South Dakota Moves to Establish State Public Defender's Office (BBN; 22 Feb 2024)

• Churches and nonprofits ensnared in Georgia push to restrict bail funds (Associated Press; 21 Feb 2024)

Prosecutorial and Public Defense Office Hiring Crises

• Judge denies public defender’s motion for more pay in [Georgia] YSL RICO trial (Yahoo.com; 16 Feb 2024)

• [South Dakota] Lawmakers, court system sees urgent need for public defense reform (South Dakota Public Broadcasting; 23 Feb 2024)

• Lawmakers press to avoid funding pitfall for public defenders (RollCall; 21 Feb 2024)

Sam Halpert, NALP Director of Public Service Initiatives

Hello, interested public! We’re back with another week of news from the world of public service law. The biggest story this week concerns a letter sent by the senators from Massachusetts to the Department of Labor, “urging DOL to request additional funds in its upcoming budget request to add nonprofit data to future [Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages] reports”. This story and others are in the links below.

Sam

Editor’s Choice

• SENATORS MARKEY, WARREN CALL ON LABOR DEPARTMENT TO MORE CLOSELY TRACK NONPROFIT WORKERS’ EMPLOYMENT DATA (Ed Markey; 13 Feb 2024)

Student Loans & Student Debt

• CFPB to distribute more than $10.9 million to consumers harmed by student loan debt-relief business (CFPB.gov; 15 Feb 2024)

• CFPB Reports on Student Borrowers’ Experiences During Return to Loan Repayment (JD Supra; 14 Feb 2024)

• White House expands plans to cancel student debt (Politico; 15 Feb 2024)

Non-Profit & Government Management & Hiring

• Connecticut's first Black woman chief public defender placed on paid administrative leave (CT Post; 10 Feb 2024)

• Non-profit network for all of B.C. to be developed (My Comox Valley Now; 11 Feb 2024)

• Gen Z and millennials are trying to dodge layoffs by turning to low-paid but ‘stable’ government jobs (Fortune; 12 Feb 2024)

• Legal aid gets stronger: Two organizations merge to serve 36 Ohio counties (Scioto Valley Guardian; 15 Feb 2024)

• Some DHS agencies are more likely to discipline employees than supervisors, GAO says (Government Executive; 15 Feb 2024)

• Colorado Public Defender's Office Forced Offline by Cyber Attack (Government Technology; 13 Feb 2024)

• Internal Survey Shows Widespread Discontent Among Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office Employees (Willamette Week; 14 Feb 2024)

• Alberta creates grant funding for community justice organizations [supporting alternatives to the formal court system] (Yahoo! News; 15 Feb 2024)

Access to Justice – Civil & Economic

• Legal Aid Sues Mayor Adams to Enforce Housing Voucher Reform (La Voce di New York; 15 Feb 2024)

• $29 million legal aid expansion for people experiencing family violence (BC Gov News; 15 Feb 2024)

• SUPREME COURT EXPANDS CERTIFIED LEGAL INTERN PROGRAM; The change, “is intended to assist in the ‘avowed quest for experienced persons, while affording protections to the public’” (Florida Bar; 16 Feb 2024)

• AI for Self-Help and Legal Aid at the Innovations in Technology Conference (Legal Talk Network; 13 Feb 2024)

• ‘Above the Line’ looks to boost middle class legal access: New network formed to help find affordable services (The Indiana Lawyer; 14 Feb 2024)

• NAACP-trained nonlawyers may provide limited advice to tenants facing eviction, top state court says (ABA Journal; 14 Feb 2024)

• A push in Albany for the right to counsel in immigration court (Erie News Now; 14 Feb 2024)

Access to Justice – Criminal

• If You Can’t Afford an Attorney, One Will Be Appointed. And You May Get a Huge Bill: In Iowa, people too poor to pay for a lawyer are on the hook for big fees they can’t afford (The Marshall Project; 12 Feb 2024)

• State public defender’s office to do analysis of indigent defense in Mariposa County [CA] (Mariposa Gazette; 16 Feb 2024)

• Public defender’s office urges legislators to reform ‘draconian’ parole system [with right to counsel at parole hearings] (New Jersey Monitor; 13 Feb 2024)

• Ending legal aid for cultural reports at sentencing may only make court hearings longer and costlier (

Prosecutorial and Public Defense Office Hiring Crises

• Checks For Court-Appointed Lawyers Have Been MIA (12 Feb 2024)

• ‘The need is great’ for money to pay public defenders, Shapiro says after proposing $10M increase (Pennsylvania Capital-Star; 12 Feb 2024)

  • Committee begins work to distribute Pa. public defender money as Shapiro asks for more (Penn-Live Patrio News; 12 Feb 2024)

• Bill increasing pay for attorneys representing indigent clients passes Alabama Senate (Alabama Reflector; 15 Feb 2024)

• Understaffed public defenders struggling to cover cases (Providence Business News; 16 Feb 2024)

• Pay raises sought for prosecutors and public defenders in McHenry County [IL] court amid recruiting struggles: Lower salaries make it ‘extremely difficult’ to retain attorneys in both offices (McHenry County Northwest Herald; 14 Feb 2024)

• Attorney shortage in S.E. Iowa raises concern for timely justice (KTVO; 15 Feb 2024)

Sam Halpert, NALP Director of Public Service Initiatives

Hello, interested public! We’re back with another week of news from the world of public service law. The biggest story this week concerns student loans. This story and others are in the links below.

Sam

Editor’s Choice

• Navient Outsources Servicing Of 2.7 Million Student Loans To Its Rival MOHELA—Is Your Loan Affected? (Forbes; 6 Feb 2024)

  • MOHELA slow to process Public Service Loan Forgiveness applications, class action alleges (Top Class Actions; 1 Feb 2024)

Student Loans & Student Debt

• Employers can now match student loan payments as 401(k) contributions. Here’s what that means (PBS; 8 Feb 2024)

• Graduate and professional students advocate for continued access to federal student loans amid debates over proposed Pell changes (Yale Daily News; 9 Feb 2024)

• Rural Attorney Program Repays Student Loans (Court News Ohio; 8 Feb 2024)

  • Attorney Shortage Leads One State [OH] to Offer Student Loan Relief (Newsweek; 2 Feb 2024)

Non-Profit & Government Management & Hiring

• Biden administration to extend salary history ban to federal contractors (Government Executive; 31 Jan 2024)

  • OPM offers guidance for agencies implementing salary history ban (Government Executive; 2 Feb 2024)

• The jobs boom is hitting the federal sector, too (Government Executive; 2 Feb 2024)

• Public Sector Bodies Required To Comply With The Accessible Saskatchewan Act (Mondaq; 31 Jan 2024)

• San Diego County has a new public defender, but the selection process troubled some (inewsource; 5 Feb 2024)

• CT public defender union schedules 'no confidence' vote on chief Bowden-Lewis (Hartford Courant; 6 Feb 2024)

  • New turmoil arises for CT public defenders: Email accounts of chief's critics accessed (Hartford Courant; 7 Feb 2024)

• Study: Civil Legal Services Lawyers Make as Much as 45% Less Than Public-Sector Counterparts (New York Law Journal; 5 Feb 2024)

• How Foundations Can Co-Create Movement Infrastructure (Nonprofit Quarterly; 6 Feb 2024)

• As DEI policies come under legal attack, philanthropic donors consider how to adapt (Associated Press; 8 Feb 2024)

Access to Justice – Civil & Economic

• At risk of eviction in L.A.? These outreach workers are looking for you (LA Times; 9 Feb 2024)

• Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid to provide legal services for seniors (Kanabec County Times; 9 Feb 2024)

• Free legal aid for veterans comes to New London [CT] (The Day; 2 Feb 2024)

• Legal Aid Society grows along with eviction-defense program (Central NY Business Journal; 8 Feb 2024)

• Tacoma [WA] tenant protection law in full effect despite city’s lack of engagement (Real Change News; 31 Jan 2024)

• Boston [MA] City Council exploring pilot that would fund lawyers for evicted tenants (Boston Herald; 2 Feb 2024)

• [OH] Eviction filings creep back up to pre-pandemic levels (Spectrum News 1; 1 Feb 2024)

• Need for eviction protection increasing (The Berkeley [CA] Independent; 2 Feb 2024)

• Right to counsel for [NE] public housing residents considered (Unicameral Update; 7 Feb 2024)

• A Shortage of Immigration Lawyers Is Another Barrier to Integration for Immigrants (Immigration Impact; 31 Jan 2024)

• Nonprofit brings loan program to Pennsylvania for immigrants who can’t afford legal assistance (witf; 5 Feb 2024)

• Boosting civil legal aid: How Florida’s IOTA program leads the way (Business Observer; 1 Feb 2024)

• Pushing To Make The Formerly Incarcerated A Protected Class (Law360; 2 Feb 2024)

Access to Justice – Criminal

• Proposed [South Dakota] state public defender commission gets term limits added during floor debate (Sioux Falls Argus Leader; 8 Feb 2024)

• Alameda County [CA] Public Defender blasts governor for sending more prosecutors (KRON 4; 8 Feb 2024)

• Court-appointed [NY] lawyers are victims of stolen check schemes, prosecutors say; 6 people charged (ABA Journal; 8 Feb 2024)

• 'No one takes a pay cut': More funding needed for state takeover of Louisville public defenders (WHAS 11; 2 Feb 2024)

• Wilt's Bill For Public Defender's Office Heads To [VA] House Of Delegates (Daily News Record; 4 Feb 2024)

Prosecutorial and Public Defense Office Hiring Crises

• Last public defender in YSL trial moves to withdraw as counsel, says she can’t earn ‘livable wage’ (WSB-TV Atlanta; 8 Feb 2024)

• [Memphis TN] Public defender’s office also faces pay-disparity problem (Daily Memphian; 5 Feb 2024)

• County prosecutor makes plea for 3 more positions amid attorney shortage (WRTV Indianapolis; 8 Feb 2024)

• Could judge have issued ‘less extreme’ remedy to address Oregon’s public defender crisis, appeals court asks (The Oregonian; 6 Feb 2024)

Criminal Justice Reform and Counter-Reform

• California criminal justice system moving slowly to confront biases, discrimination (Courthouse News; 2 Feb 2024)

• Jackson County [KS] prosecutor started a conviction review unit. Some say it’s ‘smoke & mirrors’ (The Kansas Star; 5 Feb 2024)

• Ninth Circuit considers reviving law regulating defense attorneys’ access to victims (Courthouse News; 5 Feb 2024)

• Hennepin County [MN] Attorney Mary Moriarty opens application process for incarcerated people to request reduced sentence (Star Tribune; 7 Feb 2024)

Sam Halpert, NALP Director of Public Service Initiatives

Hello, interested public! The Digest has been missing for awhile; news has been coming too thick and fast for me to manage. I’m sorry for letting you all down. As a solution, I’m going to move to a more terse delivery of key stories. Please feel free to let me know how this new format lands.

Hope this helps,

Sam

Editor’s Choice

• Fewer People Want to Lead Nonprofits. What’s the Answer? [A new study finds that aspiring leaders, especially those of color, aren’t being pulled into leadership through support and positive role models but are more often pushed into top positions to escape difficult work circumstances.] (Philanthropy.com; 26 Jan 2024)

Student Loans & Student Debt

• Nearly half of law school students enroll in law school carrying undergrad debt, reports AccessLex Institute (NationalJurist.com; 30 Jan 2024)

• Student Loan Borrowers Skip Payments: It's 'an Act of Civil Disobedience' (Newsweek.com; 26 Jan 2024)

• Loan repayment program announced for new attorneys in rural Ohio (Portsmouth-DailyTimes.com; 29 Jan 2024)

Non-Profit & Government Management & Hiring

• Black Louisiana Assistant District Attorney’s Bias Suit Rejected (Bloomberg Law; 30 Jan 2024)

• Feds get 7.4% pay raise under congressional Democrats' plan (GovExec.com; 30 Jan 2024)

• Glassdoor For Judges: Clerkship Transparency Effort Gains Momentum (AboveTheLaw.com; 30 Jan 2024)

• New program helps Delaware nonprofits expand their reach (WMDT.com; 29 Jan 2024)

• Public Sector Drop Undermines Unions’ Organizing Success in 2023 (BloombergLaw.com; 26 Jan 2024)

• CT chief public defender claims discrimination following dispute over hiring policy (Courant.com; 26 Jan 2024)

• Biden Orders US Contractors to Reveal Salary Ranges in Job Ads (BloombergLaw.com; 29 Jan 2024)

Access to Justice – Civil & Economic

• Donation to U of T’s Downtown Legal Services advances legal aid (U Toronto; 30 Jan 2024)

• Budget Talks Will Determine Size Of [Massachusetts’] Legal Aid Gaps (StatehouseNews.com; 30 Jan 2024)

• Provincial grant aims to provide alternatives, boost access to justice (CalgaryHerald.com; 30 Jan 2024)

• People discuss housing issues facing Metro Detroit at Right to Counsel Law meeting (CBS; 28 Jan 2024)

• Charlotte eviction crisis 'affecting the most vulnerable' | Housing advocates seeking solutions to provide representation for low-income tenants (WCNC.com; 25 Jan 2024)

• ‘Greatly underestimated’: In 2024, agencies continue looking for data, solutions for eviction issues (TheIndianaLawyer.com; 31 Jan 2024)

• Dallas Covers Legal Aid for Tenants Facing Eviction (DallasExpress.com; 25 Jan 2024)

• Free Legal Service Provider Expo happening Saturday [in Beaufort SC], and you're invited (WJCL.com; 25 Jan 2024)

• Pennsylvania Courts Announce New Pilot Project Providing Free Legal Representation to Older Adults in Guardianship Cases (PennWatch.org; 25 Jan 2024)

• Reno Justice Court Opens Walk-In Center (2news.com; 25 Jan 2024)

• A lack of attorneys creates ‘legal deserts’ in rural Illinois counties (HeartlandSignal.com; 25 Jan 2024)

• New pre-law program aims to tackle shortage of lawyers in northern Manitoba (CBC.ca; 24 Jan 2024)

• New York State Bar Association Objects to Governor’s Transfer of Funds That Belong by Law to Low-Income New Yorkers (NYSBA.org; 25 Jan 2024)

Access to Justice – Criminal

• EDITORIAL: Public defenders aren’t social workers (Denver Gazette; 30 Jan 2024)

• New legislation will provide funding to public defender offices statewide [in Pennsylvania] (WJACTV.com; 25 Jan 2024)

• ‘Rights are being violated’: WA public defender shortage leads to alleged gap in representation (KIRO7.com; 25 Jan 2024)

• Public defender Champion has [NC] office up and running – even without office space (AlmanceNews.com; 27 Jan 2024)

Prosecutorial and Public Defense Office Hiring Crises

• Kansas attorney general Kris Kobach has hired more lawyers but is still short on staff (Topeka Capital-Journal; 31 Jan 2024)

• Kansas public defenders got raises. But their dissatisfaction with pay almost doubled (KCBeacon.org; 30 Jan 2024)

• Prosecutors are 'quitting in droves,' and it's bad news for defendants, law prof says (ABA Journal; 26 Jan 2024)

• Public defender pay raise shakes up staffing in Minnesota county attorney offices [Many county attorneys have left for the higher pay, but some counties have also raised wages in response.] (StarTribune.com; 27 Jan 2024)

• As staffing gaps grow in local government, rural counties, including Mendocino [CA], struggle to compete (PressDemocrat.com; 27 Jan 2024)

• With Adams County [IL] Public Defender’s office already shorthanded, Nelson leaving as chief public defender on Feb. 15 (MuddyRiverNews.com; 29 Jan 2024)

• Maine’s court-appointed lawyers are ‘saturated’ with criminal, parental caseloads (PressHerald.com; 17 Jan 2024)

Criminal Justice Reform and Counter-Reform

• Chesa Boudin Ally Challenges District Attorney Brooke Jenkins (SFStandard.com; 26 Jan 2024)

• Georgia House Votes to Revive Prosecutor Oversight Panel as Democrats Warn of Targeting Fani Willis [Georgia House members have passed a bill that would revive a commission with powers to discipline and remove prosecutors] (US News.com; 29 Jan 2024)