Steven Donziger '91, is at the epitome of what many may consider an epic David v. Goliath legal battle. Donziger is the lead U.S. Attorney in the case of Aguinda v. ChevronTexaco. The case pits 30,000 Ecuadoreans who claim oil drilling done by Texaco (now owned by Chevron) has lead to untold amounts of pollution of water and land where the Ecuadoreans live.

The DOJ's Civil Rights Division is reportedly undergoing significant policy and organizational restructuring according to a recent New York Times article. These changes could lead to new hiring within the division and a revamping of what has long been considered an historic division within DOJ that recently has been under some serious scrutiny.

The hay-day of high salaried firm positions, although not over, is definitely on hold. Law firms are looking to significantly restructure their finances and hire attorneys and law firms that have recently deferred associates, in many cases, gave the option to work a year at a public interest law firm while being paid by the law firm that deferred their start at a significantly reduced rate. Public Interest organizations are still reacting to this phenomenon with mixed feelings.

The DOJ’s Criminal Division, in efforts to back up the recent talk of the Obama Administration, is beefing up its fraud unit. As reported in…

It has already been well documented that nationally, legal aid is being hit hard by the economy and the Madoff scandal. In Massachusetts, a state that has a long history of providing legal aid to low income and individuals in need, has seen its funding seriously reduced. Greater Boston Legal Services, the largest legal assistance agency in the region, will be cutting its staff by over 20% in the fall. Other organizations across the state have had to cut staff and close on alternate Fridays.

A recent NY Times article highlights the unique dilemma District Attorneys Offices in New York are facing with the downturn in legal jobs with private firms.

The ABA Journal recently wrote up an article about what practice areas are "thriving" in the legal industry.

As economic pressures mount, more and more legal aid organizations are being forced to do more with less. In this short article and video, NY1 documents dwindling funds and the severe legal cases that The Legal Society of New York faces.

The contentious battle of warrantless wiretaps continues, this time with a couple of HLS alums as key attorneys in the debate. Jameel Jaffer ('99), an attorney for the ACLU, and Serrin Turner ('00) an assistant attorney with the DOJ were arguing against each other in the ongoing debate over warrantless wiretapping. The case surrounded, specifically, amendments to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) allowing warrantless eavesdropping abroad.

One might think that with the declining profits of law firms, lawyers who are still employed would actually be dedicating more time to cases that are actually earning the firm money. According to some statistics quoted in this American Lawyer article, lawyers at some of the largest and even many small or mid-sized firms have greatly increased the amount of their pro bono hours over the years, particularly in times when firms are actually losing money.

In two separate editorials this week, both the Washington Post and the New York Times published critiques of what the most recent house financing bill does (or continues to not do) for legal services.

Many non-profit and legal advocacy organizations jumped at the opportunity to offer up volunteer positions to recently deferred associates, provided the firms that the associates were deferred from are covering most (or all) of the costs. Many questions still linger but one thing that has been left unanswered is, what about working for judges?

John Berry, the Director of the Office of Personnel Management for the federal government, called for the federal government to stand for gay rights. In some of the more pointed words regarding the matter heard in years, Berry urged public officials to take the lead in pushing for equal rights for gay partners. "With the help of a president who supports our cause, the aid of courageous fellow countrymen and women who love liberty, and with God's grace, we shall prevail."

Reuters recently reported that more and more college graduates are choosing Washington over Wall Street for their first jobs. While many students - approximately 80% - have reported having no jobs after graduation, they now feel the strong pull of public service and quite frankly, see that Washington D.C. is one of the few places currently hiring.

The New York Times jumped into the fray of documenting the decline of the modern day law firm. In this article, the Times provides a close analysis of the prestigious firm, White & Case, based out of New York and with offices across the globe. The firm recently announced they laid off 200 attorneys of its over 2100 lawyers, a drastic step the firm was forced to take based off the economic downturn.

A recent Boston Globe article highlights a battle over deportation and the rights of immigrants. The article highlights the case of Sunday Agbata, a Nigerian born immigrant who came to the United States as a stowaway on ship from West Africa. Agbata was ordered deported in July 2008 to Nigeria but has been sitting in jail without any explanation since he was caught. No explanation as to why he has not yet been deported has been given.

The San Francisco Chronicle reported the unfortunate and devastating passing of Luke Cole, an 1989 graduate of HLS whose commitment to environmental justice and dedication to public interest work defined his career and life.

Time magazine recently added to the discussion over the sweeping deferred associates situation. Now that many graduates are left in limbo and unsure if they are starting at their firm now, a year from now or perhaps never, more non-profit organizations, academic institutions and other entities are reacting to the situation

President Obama recently started to undertake the arduous task of nominating attorneys to the U.S. Attorney positions. Mr. Obama has moved forward with 6 nominations. He has 93 to go.

At Stanford Law School on April 4th, students, legal practitioners and academics participated on a panel to address the decline in law firm pro bono work. It's been well documented that law firms are feeling the impact of the economic recession, particularly those recent law school graduates who have been deferred from their firm. What is not as well documented is the impact on pro bono activity.

A recent New York Times article documents the story of Nigerian writer Ken Saro-Wiwa, an environmental and human rights activist who was executed in the '90s on what many consider drummed up murder charges.