Sam Halpert, NALP Director of Public Service Initiatives

Hello, interested public! Today’s big story concerns a new study on the threat burnout poses in nonprofit spaces. As always, that news and more is in the links below.

Take care,

Sam

Editor’s Choice(s)

• Nonprofit Leaders Cite Burnout as a Top Concern in a New Study on the State of U.S. Nonprofits (PR Newswire; 29 May 2024)

Non-Profit & Government Management & Hiring

• MFJ Union Ratifies Contract Offer, Ending Historic 13-Week Strike (AFL-CIO NYC; 24 May 2024)

• Second Circuit Questions Allowing Debt Counseling by Non-Lawyers (Bloomberg Law; 29 May 2024)

• Wisconsin law that banned collective bargaining for most public employees back in court as unions sue to have it overturned (Fortune; 28 May 2024)

• US law clerks in rare anonymous statement decry 'genocide' in Gaza (Reuters; 29 May 2024)

• NY Legal Aid Groups Embrace AI, but Cost Concerns Remain (Bloomberg Law; 31 May 2024)

Student Loans & Student Debt

• Older Workers’ Retirement Security Threatened by Student Debt Hurdles (401k Specialist; 30 May 2024)

• Borrowers Stuck in Student Loan Limbo During Processing Pause (CNET; 30 May 2024)

• 7 Critical Student Loan Forgiveness Dates In 2024 Borrowers Should Know About (Forbes; 30 May 2024)

• Biden extends time frame to get credit toward student loan forgiveness (Fox Business; 29 May 2024)

• Cornell Law School Incentivizes Public Interest Work by Expanding Loan Forgiveness (Findlaw; 23 May 2024)

• As Debt Rises, New Grads More Likely To Pick Law Firm Jobs (Law360; 9 May 2024)

Access to Justice – Civil & Economic

• Stagnant Minimum Pay Eroding DOL’s Ability to Fight Wage Theft (Bloomberg Law; 30 May 2024)

• Fresno city attorney partnering with attorney general for Tenant Protection Act (ABC 30 Action News; 27 May 2024)

• [Florida] Workgroup to Study Uncontested Probate Proceedings (Florida Bar News; 29 May 2024)

Access to Justice – Criminal

• [Ontario] Province to hire more judges and Crown prosecutors (Bay Today; 30 May 2024)

• St. Louis prosecutor wants to boost staffing, asks for $500K more (St. Louis Post-Dispatch; 31 May 2024)

• New group of public defenders will address attorney shortage in rural, northeast NC (WRAL News; 30 May 2024)

• Dawn Holland in court, but without a lawyer: First high-profile Deschutes County [OR] case to run into public defender shortage (KVTZ; 30 May 2024)

• ‘A state of triage’: Illinois public defenders in crisis amid staffing shortage (Courthouse News Service; 24 May 2024)

  • New Bill Aims to Create Statewide Public Defender Office in Illinois (WTTW Chicago; 28 May 2024)

• Kansas public defenders are overworked and understaffed, according to current standardsf (Topeka Capital-Journal; 25 May 2024)

• Lawyers Argue About Scheduling a Murder Trial Pending Furloughs by Public Defenders (DC Witness; 24 May 2024)

• ACLU of Maine gets court approval to expand its lawsuit against the state for allegedly failing to provide attorneys for low-income defendants (WMTW; 25 May 2024)

• Santa Cruz public defender moves to solidify 'holistic defense' model (Santa Cruz Sentinel; 28 May 2024)

Sam Halpert, NALP Director of Public Service Initiatives

Hello, interested public! Today’s big story concerns a shortage of lawyers for asylum seekers. As always, that news and more is in the links below.

Take care,

Sam

Editor’s Choice(s)

• A New Challenge for Asylum Seekers: Lawyer Shortages (NY Times; 19 May 2024)

Non-Profit & Government Management & Hiring

• Vindicated by Supreme Court, CFPB director says bureau will add staff, consider new rules on banks (AP; 17 May 2024)

• Watchdog agency to crack down on Hatch Act violators, including at the White House (Government Executive; 20 May 2024)

• The Exodus of Everyday Donors Is Bad for America. Here’s How to Stop It. (The Chronicle of Philanthropy; 23 May 2024)

• [US] State Department warns of significant risks due to ongoing budget pressures (Government Executive; 21 May 2024)

Student Loans & Student Debt

• Biden administration cancels another $7.7B in student loans (Axios; 22 May 2024)

• 20 state AGs challenging Biden admin's latest student loan relief plan: 'Unconstitutional' (CBS; 20 May 2024)

• [MA] AG Campbell Urges Department of Education To Provide Debt Relief To Federal Student Loan Borrowers (MA Office of the Attorney General; 20 May 2024)

• Progressives push Biden administration to cut ties with Missouri student loan servicer (Kentucky Lantern; 23 May 2024)

• CFPB Enters Consent Order Over Student Loan Debt Relief Services (JD Supra; 24 May 2024)

• Just 22% of Americans say college is worth it if you have to take out student loans (CNBC; 23 May 2024)

Access to Justice – Civil & Economic

• Eviction mediation can save lives. Here's how one Columbus group helps tenants, landlords (Columbus Dispatch; 23 May 2024)

• Legal aid nonprofit says it can lower SF homelessness (SF Examiner; 24 May 2024)

• Immigrant advocates rally for pro-immigrant NYC budget, legislation (Caribbean Life; 22 May 2024)

• ‘Heartbreaking’: Newsom’s budget plan would slash legal services for immigrants (San Francisco Chronicle; 21 May 2024)

• Right To Counsel In Eviction Cases: A Public Health Imperative (Health Affairs; 17 May 2024)

• Additional funding for Nova Scotia Legal Aid and other Province House news (Halifax Examiner; 17 May 2024)

Access to Justice – Criminal

• Illinois needs public defender reform. Is a new state bill the right step? (Prism Reports; 23 May 2024)

  • [IL] Advocates continue to push for statewide public defender office, despite lack of movement in the Cap (WCIA; 22 May 2024)

• Louisiana Is Slashing Public Defender Salaries (Esquire; 24 May 2024)

• [South Dakota] Commission to Hire Chief Defender to Lead New Office of Indigent Legal Services (SD Unified Judicial System; 22 May 2024)

• [Pennsylvania] PCCD Increasing Funding For Public Defenders (Butler Radio; 22 May 2024)

• Stanislaus public defense is among most understaffed, overworked in [California] Central Valley, report says (The Modesto; 21 May 2024)

• Budget hearing highlights attorney shortage on Guam, pay raises at Public Defender's office (Pacific Daily News; 22 May 2024)

Sam Halpert, NALP Director of Public Service Initiatives

Hello, interested public! I’m back in DC after a very interesting week in Detroit. Major stories this week include a lot of issues of US federal policy. Whistleblower accounts from within the company servicing public service student loans about their treatment of borrowers and from within the State Department and USAID about US policy on Gaza. The CFPB’s funding structure survived a challenge at the Supreme Court, and Government Executive suggested that the Biden Administration’s immigration policy may require a significant increase in staffing. As always, these stories and more are in the links below.

Take care,

Sam

Editor’s Choice(s)

• University of Georgia pulls out of ‘Cop City’ lawsuit requesting public records; Dean of law school orders first amendment clinic to curtail core work, including on Atlanta Police Foundation case (The Guardian; 17 May 2024)

Non-Profit & Government Management & Hiring

• Joe Biden has done more than arm Israel. Leaked documents reveal his own officials see him as complicit in Gaza’s devastating famine (The Independent; 14 May 2024)

  • ‘We are more complicit:’ Biden’s Israel policies spur feds to protest at the White House (Government Executive; 15 May 2024)

• Multnomah County [Oregon] prosecutors’ union concerned about comments district attorney made about challenger (OPB; 16 May 2024)

• US federal judges boycott Columbia University graduates over handling of campus protests (Canadian Lawyer; 16 May 2024)

• Supreme Court Rejects Challenge to Consumer Watchdog's Funding (New York Times; 16 May 2024)

• The larger the nonprofit, the more likely it is run by a white man, says new Candid diversity report (AP; 16 May 2024)

• Over Two Dozen Labor Unions, Civil Rights Groups, and Public Interest Advocates Endorse New York’s BOT Act (Center for Democracy & Technology; 16 May 2024)

• Seattle Public Defender's $7M Employment Win Wiped Out (Law360; 14 May 2024)

• Gaza and Charities at War: Would Nonprofit Trustees Violate Fiduciary Duties by Israeli Divestment? (Nonprofit Law Prof Blog; 15 May 2024)

Student Loans & Student Debt

• Student loan forgiveness: Deadline extended to consolidate certain loans (Cox Media Group; 16 May 2024)

• A top student loan company allegedly told staff to keep borrowers on hold (The Street; 14 May 2024)

• Biden's student-loan forgiveness plan comment period is ending. Here's what people are saying. (Market Watch; 17 May 2024)

• Student Loan Interest Rates To Soar Above 6.5%—The Highest Level In More Than 15 Years (Forbes; 16 May 2024)

Access to Justice – Civil & Economic

• Is Biden’s new immigration rule doomed without more staffing? (Government Executive; 13 May 2024)

• Nova Scotia Legal Aid receives funding to attract more private lawyers (CBC; 16 May 2024)

• [New York City] Public defenders call on judge to dismiss landlord suit brought against court system (Queens Eagle; 15 May 2024)

• Lawmakers look to lock legal services fund after [NY] gov’s sweep (Queens Eagle; 15 May 2024)

• Immigrant Services Face Cuts Under Latest Proposed California Budget (LAist; 15 May 2024)

• Nova Scotia Legal Aid increasing wages for certificate lawyers (Saltwire; 16 May 2024)

Access to Justice – Criminal

• [Indiana] Program restarts state reimbursement for public defenders' misdemeanor cases (The Journal Gazette; 17 May 2024)

• Illinois legislators try again on statewide public defender legislation (Chicago Tribune; 14 May 2024)

• New report: Allegheny County [PA] indigent defense system needs ‘fundamental overhaul’ (90.5 WESA; 16 May 2024)

• Michigan's public defender system was among the worst in the country. Now it's a national model (Lansing State Journal; 15 May 2024)

• Do Utah youth get a good defense in court? The Gault Center report emphasized high-level reform through changing pay structures and analyzing the system regularly to ensure fairness (Deseret News; 15 May 2024)

Prosecutorial and Public Defense Office Hiring Crises

• Report reveals Pennsylvania lags in public defender staffing (Fox43 News; 15 May 2024)

• Santa Clara County DA, public defender forewarn trouble from proposed budget cuts (The Mercury News; 16 May 2024)

Criminal Legal Reform & Counter-Reform

• Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price goes on offensive, vows to defeat recall effort (The Mercury News; 16 May 2024)

Sam Halpert, NALP Director of Public Service Initiatives

Hello, interested public! I’ve been at ABA EJC; it’s been an interesting time and I’m glad to have seen a few of you here! Meanwhile, the news swims on. Here’s a bit of what I’ve caught.

Take care,

Sam

Editor’s Choice(s)

• Seeing the University More Clearly (Law & Political Economy Blog; 7 May 2024)

Non-Profit & Government Management & Hiring

• A CBO report raises new questions about Biden’s 2% pay raise plan (Government Executive; 7 May 2024)

• Nonprofit Legal Service Workers in New York City Strike for a Fair Contract (Nonprofit Quarterly; 8 May 2024)

• Columbia Law backs its graduates after conservative judges said they won’t hire them (The Hill; 7 May 2024)

• NYC Law Department invests in bar retakers, yields results for the city (Brooklyn Eagle; 10 May 2024)

• Meet the lawyer who's trying to flag judges who harass their clerks (NPR; 10 May 2024)

Access to Justice – Civil & Economic

• Chiefs of Ontario allege unequal access to justice in lawsuit (CBC; 7 May 2024)

• Liberals say underpaid lawyers in [Nova Scotia] are refusing legal aid work (Haligonia.ca; 10 May 2024)

Access to Justice – Criminal

• New [VA] Public Defender Office Will Start Up Soon (Daily News Record; 9 May 2024)

Prosecutorial and Public Defense Office Hiring Crises

• [WA] Public defender crisis will only get worse if things don't change according to State Bar (NBC; 7 May 2024)

• Deschutes County [OR] judge speaks out on ‘very concerning’ public defender shortage; seven defendants released so far (KTVZ; 7 May 2024)

Sam Halpert, NALP Director of Public Service Initiatives

Hello, interested public! It’s been the kind of week where decades happen. Some of the news of that decade is below.

Take care,

Sam

Editor’s Choice(s)

• In Defense of the Right to Free Speech and Peaceful Protest on University Campuses (American Association of University Professors; 29 Apr 2024)

Student Debt and Student Loans

• Big Student Loan Servicing Upheaval Will Impact Forgiveness, Repayment For Millions (Forbes; 2 May 2024)

• What borrowers need to know as the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program goes on a partial processing pause (CNBC; 3 May 2024)

Non-Profit & Government Management & Hiring

• MFJ UNION STRIKE HITS TEN-WEEK MILESTONE, MARKING LONGEST NYC LEGAL SERVICES WALKOUT SINCE 1991 (AFL-CIO NYC CLC; 3 May 2024)

• House GOP’s ‘discriminatory’ funding change draws ire of Democrats, nonprofits (The Hill; 1 May 2024)

• Texas Southern University’s Law School Responds To State’s DEI Job Cuts (HBCU Buzz; 29 Apr 2024)

• Young people think federal jobs are beneficial, but don't want them (Government Executive; 29 Apr 2024)

• Gaza and Charities at War: Tax Exemption and Civil Disobedience (Nonprofit Law Prof Blog; 29 Apr 2024)

Access to Justice – Civil & Economic

• [Nova Scotia] Legal Aid Demand Rises Amid Rate Freeze (Liberal.ns.ca; 2 May 2024)

• SEATTLE ALLOCATES $200K TO BOOST LEGAL AID FOR MIGRANTS AND ASYLUM SEEKERS AMID SURGE (Hoodline; 3 May 2024)

• San Francisco Right to Counsel Program Prevents Hundreds of Evictions (Planetizen; 30 Apr 2024)

• Attorneys General Unite to Advocate for Legal Services Corporation Funding (Franklin County Free Press; 30 Apr 2024)

• Idaho Innocence Project suspending their legal services, for now (KIVITV; 29 Apr 2024)

• More Litigation Funding Rules Would Threaten Access to Justice (Bloomberg Law; 30 Apr 2024)

Access to Justice – Criminal

• DETENTION HEARINGS WITHOUT LAWYERS: AN ANALYSIS OF INITIAL CRIMINAL COURT HEARINGS IN TRAVIS COUNTY, TEXAS (ACLU TX; 30 Apr 2024)

Prosecutorial and Public Defense Office Hiring Crises

• After-hours public defender shortage a ‘safety concern,’ Rosendale [NY] police chief says (Daily Freeman; 2 May 2024)

• Editorial: Small steps to fix [OR]'s public defender shortage (Bend Bulletin; 3 May 2024)

• Overworked, understaffed, underpaid: Public defender system at the verge of crisis, panel told (Arkansas Online; 28 Apr 2024)

Criminal Legal Reform & Counterreform

• Protestors Rally Against Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon (KABC; 29 Apr 2024)

• Public defenders should be part of the conversation about public safety (Louisiana Illuminator; 30 Apr 2024)