Problems Linger Amid Efforts To Clean Up Debt Firm's Mess

By Daniel Connolly

After the collapse of a California debt relief firm last year amid allegations of fraud, a bankruptcy judge signed off on a plan to allow a new firm to begin providing services for thousands of affected clients. While the new firm has promised to clean up its predecessor’s mess, some consumers say little to nothing has changed, and now enforcement agencies including the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau have started asking questions.

15 documents attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

More Legal Aid Attys Move To Addiction Epidemic Frontlines

By Alison Knezevich

Aided in part by an influx of settlement money from opioid litigation, a growing number of legal aid groups are offering programs aimed at individuals and families hurt by the addiction crisis, helping them navigate civil legal issues like driver’s license reinstatements, custody and domestic violence issues, and navigating public health benefits.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

All Access

DC Access To Justice Leader On Making Courts User-Friendly

By Alison Knezevich

Erin Larkin, the first director of the D.C. Courts’ newly created Access to Justice unit, recently spoke with Law360 about plans to boost efforts to connect people with legal services and make the courts more accessible.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Calif. Sanctioned $111M In 30-Year Prison Staffing Case

By Bonnie Eslinger

A California federal judge has ordered state officials to hand over more than $111 million for failing to bring prison mental health staffing up to levels set by the court in 2009 in a 30-year-old case, saying Tuesday that "given defendants' contumacy, it is for the court to effect compliance."

Order attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

All Access

Lowenstein Pro Bono Head On Guiding NJ Public Interest Law

By Jake Maher

Law360 Pulse caught up with Alexander Shalom, head of the Lowenstein Center for Public Interest as of the beginning of June, to discuss his plans for the influential pro bono center’s future and his reflections on his time at the ACLU-NJ.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Rape Kit Co. Wants Wash. Ban Lifted During Free Speech Suit

By Rachel Riley

A company that sells self-administered sexual assault DNA collection kits is urging a Washington federal judge to stop the enforcement of a new state law that it claims stifles its First Amendment rights by barring the marketing of its kits as an alternative to resources offered by law enforcement and the government.

2 documents attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Mich. Justices Take Up Young Adults' Life Sentence Challenge

By Danielle Ferguson

Michigan's top court will weigh whether the state's mandatory life sentence for murder is unconstitutional when applied to young adults, after 19- and 20-year-olds argued that a 2022 precedent banning the punishment for 18-year-olds should extend to them.

3 documents attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Immigration Org.'s Attys Can Be In Union, NLRB Official Says

By Beverly Banks

Attorneys at a nonprofit providing immigration legal services may remain in a voluntarily recognized union bargaining unit, a National Labor Relations Board regional director concluded, saying the attorneys are not supervisors who are excluded from unionizing under federal labor law.

Decision attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

New 'Access DOJ' Aims To Nix Barriers, Boost Accessibility

By Rose Krebs

The U.S. Department of Justice has announced the launch of an initiative to improve access to its programs and services, including an upcoming project to make it easier to report tips about crime or other violations of law.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

SDNY Taps Nonprofit To Run Clinic For Pro Se Litigants

By Andrea Keckley

The City Bar Justice Center announced Tuesday that it has been enlisted to take over the Southern District of New York's 8-year-old legal assistance clinic's services for self-represented litigants, as many low-income Americans face the civil legal system alone.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

DC Firms Honored For Local Legal Services Donations

By Alison Knezevich

The D.C. Access to Justice Commission is recognizing 39 law firms for their financial contributions to legal aid providers in Washington, saying the private bar's support is crucial to meeting the community's needs.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Perspectives

Justices' 1st Post-Bruen Gun Ruling Provides Little Guidance

The U.S. Supreme Court’s recent ruling in U.S. v. Rahimi that domestic abusers can be prohibited from owning guns — its first chance to clarify the new gun rights test it established in its 2022 Bruen decision — will not do much to help lower courts because it didn’t resolve one of the biggest open issues involving the Second Amendment, says Michael McCarthy at Kendall Brill.

Opinion attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Perspectives

DOJ Must Be Transparent With Its Death-In-Custody Data

In two lawsuits, the Justice Department is fighting news organizations’ efforts to disclose the data it collects about deaths in custody — a counterproductive position against transparency at odds with officials' statements recognizing that such data is necessary to save lives, says David Janovsky at the Project on Government Oversight.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Perspectives

High Court Ruling Leaves Chance For Civil Forfeiture Reform

Though advocates for civil forfeiture reform did not prevail in Culley v. Marshall last month, concerns voiced by a majority of the U.S. Supreme Court justices potentially leave the door open to consider stricter limits in future cases, say attorneys at Dykema.

Decision attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Perspectives

NY Chief Judge Spotlights Need To Strengthen Public Defense

In a recent concurrence in People v. Watkins, New York Chief Judge Rowan Wilson called attention to the necessity for greater investment in public defense services, highlighting not only the urgency of current crises, but the need to embrace a more ambitious vision of equal right to counsel, says Corey Stoughton at Selendy Gay.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Access To Justice Will Return In September

Law360's Access To Justice newsletter will be taking a summer hiatus after today's issue and will return on Sept. 7.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »