Harvard Law's CAP to promote child advocacy across disciplines
The Harvard Law School Child Advocacy Program (CAP), in collaboration with the American Bar Association (ABA), held its first conference to deliberate on the legal problems that children face. Attended by prominent speakers from the New York Governor Eliot Spitzer's office, the Massachusetts Department of Social Services, and various law schools from across the country, the conference highlighted children's issues, one of the most neglected areas in law. Elizabeth Bartholet, director of CAP and Wasserstein Public Interest Professor of Law, said that the main agenda of the conference was to raise awareness on CAP's initiatives. Director Bartholet, herself a victim of the handicapping laws when she tried to adopt a child, customized the program at Harvard in order to attract students to less attractive and less lucrative legal niches. Though only in its third year, the program has already set its mark in the new field. Most bright students who enter law school with higher ideals later do not pay much attention towards advocacy since it lacks the pay and other prospects offered by major corporations and law firms. Bartholet feels that "that's a waste of talent." Chief Judge of New York Judith S. Kaye delivered the keynote address, which stressed the importance of child advocates. She said that the lawyers cannot make "little cubicles of problems," but should cut across disciplines while trying to work in the area of child advocacy. The conference also hosted a series of workshops. The topics ranged from "Medical-Legal Partnerships in Child Welfare" to "The Other Elians: Toward Redressing the Plight of Unaccompanied Refugee and Immigrant Children."
A purposeful sprint: the LRAP style
Some ran for fun, some for the cause, and some just ran out of curiosity. However, all of them ran and made the University of Minnesota Law School's Race for Justice a resounding success. The annual run, in its fifth year now, is a 5K Fun Run and Walk designed to benefit the Loan Repayment Assistance Program of Minnesota (LRAP). Karla Valnsek, Dawn Brintnell, and Monica Stangl were the top three female runners. Chris Lundberg, Tom Church, and Dan Church - all members of the Law School's Cross Country Team - did their school proud by winning the top three male positions. Lundberg won the top position for the second time. The registrants, totaling at more than 875 runners, were comprised of members from both the law school as well local legal circles. They converged at Minneapolis' historic riverfront after running around Nicollet Island, Hennepin Avenue bridge, Stone Arch Bridge, and St. Anthony Main. More than 100 volunteers, 30 sponsors, and 20 teams collected an estimated $19,500 in proceeds for LRAP. LRAP subsidizes education loan payments for University of Minnesota and other local law schools graduates. The organizations aim at alleviating low-income litigants of repayment woes.
Sallie Mae changes hands, says yes to buyout deal
Sallie Mae is changing its status. It will now be a private loan company. The student-loan giant has agreed to be acquired for $25 billion, or $60 per share in a buyout deal, by two private-equity firms and two banks. Sallie Mae struck the deal with J.C. Flowers & Co., Friedman Fleischer & Lower, Bank of America Corp., and JP Morgan Chase & Co. The deal comes at a juncture when the major student lenders are struggling with federal cuts in funding and investigations into corrupt lending practices. Earlier, Sallie Mae's independent board members collectively approved the agreement and suggested that shareholders do the same. The present management will continue to lead the company. Even after the deal, it will continue to be headquartered in Reston and will continue to issue student loans under its internal brands. The Sallie Mae management claims that the change of hands will not affect the borrowers in any manner. The student borrowers would not know who handles their loans or where their payments go. The company has 10 million borrowers and a $142-billion loan portfolio. In 2006, Sallie Mae held $23.4 billion in student loans. Most of these loans were federally subsidized loans. Stafford loans, for instance, has a comparatively lower interest rate. In its settlement with New York's attorney general, the company has agreed to pay $2 million to a loan education fund and to change its existing lending pattern.
Ethics vs. Law: Legal luminaries brainstorm implications
"Law and eth-ics, law and eth-ics - they go together like nurture and gen-e-tics." Thus sang Jonathan Shapiro. And no, he wasn't trying to do a better job than Frank Sinatra on the number "Love and Marriage." Shapiro was one of the many ethical scholars participating in a panel discussion hosted by USC College and the Levan Institute to brainstorm on the locus standi of ethics in the field of law. The discussion, sponsored by USC College and the newly created USC Norman Levan Institute for Humanities and Ethics, saw several ethics scholars, including Nora M. Manella, U.S. district judge and USC alumna; Laurie L. Levenson, professor of law and director of the Center for Ethical Advocacy at Loyola Law School; and Jonathan Shapiro, a writer for television shows such as The Practice and Boston Legal. Shapiro, tracing the origin of the word "ethics" to Greek "ethos," said that the word describes a person's moral character. He advised all those who intend to wield the gavel to assess their own character before embarking on their legal career. Questioning if students would live up to the challenges that test a person's character and ethical standing, Shapiro said, "Ultimately, defense attorneys have the harder job." He explained that it is tough to defend a "schmuck" of a defendant rather than prosecute one. Earlier, Peter Starr, USC College Dean, elaborated on the aims of the Levan Institution. He said that the institution would try to help law students "think about and ponder the ethical dilemmas that come with practicing their professions in the 21st century." Hilary Schor, moderator of the discussion and dean of undergraduate programs, asked students to "take ownership of the institute." Laurie L. Levenson, professor of law and director of the Center for Ethical Advocacy at Loyola Law School, said that the ethical code also aims to protect an attorney from immoral clients. It protects the lawyer when he or she takes a stand against the client on ethical grounds. In her elaborate discussion on the topic, Levenson also quoted prominent cases including that of Michael Jackson and former football star O.J. Simpson. She concluded her argument with a dig on "dirty lawyering, [...] dirty practices do not usually result in courtroom victories." Nora M. Manella, U.S. district judge and USC alumna, quoted Abraham Lincoln in her speech, warning students to either commit themselves to ethics or to shun the profession. She countered the popular misconceptions about greedy lawyers, often the butt of jokes, by saying that "licensed attorneys have a code of ethics [...] and good attorneys will follow their conscience." "In life in general, resolving not to be a jerk is probably a good idea," Manella stated forcefully.
LexisNexis' Martindale-Hubbell Law Digest now on Amazon.com
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