May 2023

Advocates have had a lukewarm reaction to report on legal aid for tenants facing eviction

May 30, 2023

Although a program in Milwaukee County that helped tenants facing eviction find legal representation saw major successes, local housing advocates felt that much more was needed. “It’s still kind of a drip in the bucket,” Joshua Taylor, an organizer with the Milwaukee Autonomous Tenants Union (MATU) told the Wisconsin Examiner. “It’s a positive reform, but we also still need more of a systemic change.”

Called Eviction Free MKE, the program was launched as a pilot in September 2021 with $3 million in funding from Milwaukee County, the city and the United Way of Milwaukee and Waukesha. Tenants facing eviction were represented by attorneys from the Legal Aid Society of Milwaukee and Legal Action of Wisconsin. From its launch to December 2022, the program was evaluated by Stout, a global investment bank and advisory firm that was contracted by the United Way.

Protesters gather for a Milwaukee Autonomous Union action during the summer of 2020. (Photo | Isiah Holmes)

the report, which was released in late March, found that representation for tenants during eviction proceedings rose from 2-3% prior to the program’s launch to 6-16%. Evictions were prevented in 76% of cases, and evictions were recorded sealed in 72%. In 70% of cases, attorneys were able to prevent the tenant from being forced to move involuntarily. Furthermore, the report found that a majority of evictions (63%) that were filed during the program were in majority-Black census tracts, and that 78% of the program’s clients were Black women. By comparison, less than 30% of Milwaukee County’s residents are Black, and about 50% are women.

Taylor has seen women repeatedly play critical roles in tenant organizing. “The most gung ho, the most willing to go and not only make changes for themselves but everyone in their building, or neighborhood, or community, it’s

Jane Roberts, who is married to Chief Justice John Roberts, made $10.3 million in commissions from elite law firms, whistleblower documents show

May 29, 2023

John and Jane Roberts arriving for a state dinner — Jane Sullivan Roberts, the spouse of Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts made more than $10 million in commissions as a headhunter for top-tier law firms between 2007 and 2014, according to internal documents included with a whistleblower complaint.Alex Brandon/AP

Jane Roberts was paid more than $10 million by a host of elite law firms, a whistleblower alleges.
At least one of those firms argued a case before Chief Justice Roberts after paying his wife hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Details of Jane Roberts’ work come as Congress struggles to reform the Court’s self-policed ethics.

Two years after John Roberts’ confirmation as the Supreme Court’s chief justice in 2005, his wife, Jane Sullivan Roberts, made a pivot. After a long and distinguished career as a lawyer, she refashioned herself as a legal recruiter, a matchmaker who pairs job-hunting lawyers up with corporations and firms.

Roberts told a friend that the change was motivated by a desire to avoid the appearance of conflicts of interest, given that her husband was now the highest-ranking judge in the country. “There are many paths to the good life,” she said. “There are so many things to do if you’re open to change and opportunity.”

And life was indeed good for the Robertses, at least for the years 2007 to 2014. During that eight-year stretch, according to internal records from her employer, Jane Roberts generated a whopping $10.3 million in commissions, paid out by corporations and law firms for placing high-dollar lawyers with them.

That eye-popping figure comes from records in a whistleblower complaint filed by a disgruntled former colleague of Roberts, who says that as the spouse of the most powerful judge in the United States, the income she earns from law firms who practice before the Court should be subject to public

Pair charged with murder of Soweto boys rejects legal aid

May 29, 2023

Fifty-year-old Nqobile Ndlovu and her 36-year-old partner Mthunzi Mzwakhe Zulu were arrested on Wednesday. It emerged that the former was the grandmother of one of the boys.

Fifty-year-old Nqobile Ndlovu (pictured) and her 36-year-old partner Mthunzi Mzwakhe Zulu were charged with the murder of two boys, of which one is the former’s grandchild, in the Protea Magistrates Court on 28 April 2023. Picture: Screenshots

JOHANNESBURG – The case of two children killed in Soweto took a twist when the grandmother of one of the boys appeared in court in connection with the murder.

Tshiamo Rabanye and his friend Mduduzi Zulu were found mutilated and killed last week.

The children went missing a day before their bodies were discovered.

Rabanye’s grandmother and her boyfriend were charged with murder at the Protea Magistrates Court on Friday.

Fifty-year-old Nqobile Ndlovu and her 36-year-old partner Mthunzi Mzwakhe Zulu were arrested on Wednesday.

READ: Grandmother of one of the boys killed in Soweto, her partner charged with murder

Silence fell over the Protea Magistrates Court when the grandmother of a 6-year-old Rabanye appeared before a packed gallery.

Dressed in a long black puffer coat, Ndlovu and her partner Zulu strolled into the dock showing little to no emotion.

Despite being read their rights and offered fair representation in the form of legal aid – the pair opted to represent themselves.

Zulu, at one point, said he had nothing to do with the murders.

The pair faces charges including two counts of murder, kidnapping, perjury and defeating the ends of justice.

The case was postponed to 5 May for the court to settle on a date for a formal bail application.

Both Ndlovu and Zulu will remain in custody.

A woman, 50, and partner, 35, will appear in the Protea Magistrates Court in #Soweto this morning

Wife of Chief Justice Roberts made $10.3 million from top law firms

May 28, 2023

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Carter Mario Law Firm Hosts Month-Long Diaper Drive, Starting on Mother’s Day

May 27, 2023

New Haven, Conn. (WTNH) – If you’re a parent, especially a new parent, you know that using lots of diapers just comes with the territory. This is why the Carter Mario Law firm is holding a diaper drive with the Diaper Bank of Connecticut to support the families in our community who may not be able to afford this basic need. Attorney Alex Mario and her son, Karson, joined CT Style Host Natasha Lubczenko in the studio to tell our viewers about the Diaper Drive and how they can help support it.

As a mother, Attorney Alex talks about just how important diapers are to a baby’s health. She says, “You know, if you have a diaper on too long, it can cause skin issues. It can lead them to get sickness some days, and it doesn’t feel very good. So this little guy, he goes through quite a lot of diapers. You know, it’s gets a little bit better when they get older, But in the beginning, it’s a rough, rough period.”

“You know, a lot of people don’t realize it, but one in three families in Connecticut do not have an adequate supply of diapers to be able to clothe their children. And it leads to a lot of issues.”

Alex adds, “A lot of daycares do not allow you to bring kids to daycare if you do not have an adequate supply. And if you can’t bring your kid to daycare and can’t work, then the cycle just continues.” “So we have a lot of parents at our office. I obviously am a parent, and it’s very special to our firm to try to help out our community, especially when it comes to families.”

The Carter Mario Law Firm Diaper Drive runs from Mother’s Day, May 14

A year after merger, lawyers split from Rose Law Firm for Conner & Winters

May 26, 2023

Two prominent Northwest Arkansas business attorneys have changed law firms.

Rebecca Hurst and Jim Smith have left Little Rock-based business law practice Rose Law Firm to work for Tulsa-based Conner & Winters as partners in the firm’s Fayetteville office.

Their first day with the firm’s corporate and securities practice group was Monday (May 1).

“The addition of these well-regarded lawyers will further strengthen our firm’s profile in the region and elevate the services we offer,” Conner & Winters managing partner Kevin Redwine said. “We’re excited to have Rebecca and Jim join us in our ongoing mission to deliver legal services to our clients that are a step above the rest.”

Their departure comes a little more than a year following a high-profile acquisition. On April 1, 2022, Rose Law Firm acquired Smith Hurst PLC, a regional business law and private wealth law firm with seven attorneys in Rogers.

Hurst, Smith Hurst’s managing partner, became a Rose Law Firm member and was in charge of the firm’s two Northwest Arkansas locations. She also joined the firm’s executive committee. Smith initially joined the firm in an of counsel role. He had an in-house leadership role with Little Rock medical marijuana business Good Day Farm from June 2021 to July 2022 and did not actively practice at Rose Law Firm.

“We wish Jim and Rebecca well in their new endeavors,” Rose Law Firm managing member David Mitchell Jr. said in a statement to the Northwest Arkansas Business Journal.

Founded in 1820 before Arkansas statehood (1836), Rose Law Firm is the oldest business in the state and the oldest law firm west of the Mississippi River.

The company established its first satellite office in 2017 when Fayetteville attorneys Mark Henry and Adam Hopkins of the Henry Law Firm joined the firm.

Rose Law Firm

8.79 lakh people received govt’s legal aid since 2009

May 26, 2023

8.79 lakh people received govt’s legal aid since 2009

DHAKA, April 27, 2023 (BSS) – As part of the present government’s commitment to provide justice for all, it is providing free legal aid from 2009 through the National Legal Aid Services Organization (NLASO) and so far 8,79,929 people received its services.

“Apart from these, NLASO provided free legal advice to 3, 53, 656 people in this period,” Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Anisul Huq told BSS on the eve of National Legal Aid Services Day, to be observed tomorrow.

The law minister further said the then Awami League government led by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina formulated Legal Aid Services Act, 2000, and formed NLASO to provide legal assistance to the people who are financially insolvent, penniless or unable to get justice because of various socio- economic reasons.

“But the issue of providing legal aid remained neglected from 2001 to 2008. After Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina formed government for the second time in 2009, implementation of that act gained momentum,” he added.

Narrating the achievements of NLASO to BSS, Law Ministry spokesperson Dr Md Rezaul Karim said the organization managed to realize Taka 134.90 crore as compensation for the victim parties and resolved a total of 82, 588 cases or disputes through alternative dispute resolution (ADR) from 2009 to March, 2023.

“The NLASO, through its 64 district legal aid offices, provided legal services to 4, 50, 067 people, of which 1, 05, 650 received the services in prisons. A total of 1, 53,413 people were given free legal aid though toll -free national helpline ‘16430’ since its launching in 2016,” the law ministry official added.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on the National Legal Aid Day on April 28, 2016, launched the service and it became more and more popular with

‘Big game hunting’ hackers ALPHV claim major breach of law firm HWL Ebsworth

May 25, 2023

A HWL Ebsworth spokesman said the firm became aware on Friday of an unauthorised third-party claiming it had taken a significant amount of data from the firm.

“The privacy and security of our client and employee information is of the utmost importance to us,” he said.

“As soon as we learnt of this potential incident, we acted quickly to respond to the threat and have been working with third-party experts to determine the validity of the claims, and to ensure the ongoing safety and security of our systems.”

HWL Ebsworth has notified, and is working with, the Australian Cyber Security Centre.

“At this time, we are still determining the credibility of the claims made and the potential impact to any data,” the spokesman said.

“There is no evidence that any third party is currently accessing our systems and no signs of encryption have been detected.

“We will continue to provide updates to our stakeholders, as appropriate, as new information becomes available. While investigations are ongoing, our operations are not impacted, and our focus remains on providing exceptional service for our clients to the high standards of our firm.”

If ALPHV proves to have the documents it says it obtained, it would have access to some of HWL Ebsworth’s most sensitive and valuable data. It could have repercussions for other law firms that have faced HWL Ebsworth; one of the sample documents released by ALPHV, for example, appears to have been drafted by Ashurst.

Katherine Mansted, director of cyber intelligence and public policy at CyberCX, said ALPHV have a strategy of “big game hunting” with 40 per cent of the attacks it has executed in Australia being on professional services firms.

“They’re

National Legal Aid Day tomorrow, President, PM issue separate messages

May 25, 2023

National Legal Aid Day tomorrow, President, PM issue separate messages

DHAKA, April 27, 2023 (BSS) – National Legal Aid Services Day will be observed across the country tomorrow with a view to ensuring the rule of law, fundamental human rights and justice for everyone.

On the occasion, President Mohammed Shahabuddin and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina issued separate messages wishing success of the day.

The President, in his message, said that Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman had a dreamt of building a democratic and prosperous country which would be free from all sorts of discrimination and established a strong judicial system by enacting the Constitution in 1972.

“According to Article 27 of the Constitution of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh, all are equal before the law and all are entitled to equal protection of the law. In order to make this right a reality, the ‘National Legal Aid Provision Act 2000’ has been enacted,” the message said.

Stating that the program of providing legal aid to poor people at government expense is a reflection of Bangabandhu’s unique constitutional thoughts, the President hopes that the observance of National Legal Aid Services Day-2023 will be a success.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, in her message, said that one of the main goals of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was to establish the rule of law, basic human rights, political, economic and social equality, freedom and justice for all citizens.

“But after the assassination of the Father of the Nation in 1975, the rule of law and basic human rights were destroyed. After ’75, the BNP-Jamaat coalition government established a reign of terror, murder and torture to obstruct the path of justice. As a result, the people of the country were deprived of legal assistance and