Consumer Law

Money, money, money, money (a round up)

By Kia Franklin

Random bits of news from the week, with a monetary twist.

Moving the money around. Big law firms are sending underworked associates to the public interest sector during the economic downturn. That way, they get to pay associates a bit less, associates get some experience doing public interest work, and the financially starved non-profit world gets some free young talent. What if this temporary placement creates a mass exodus of BigLaw associates who find themselves oddly fulfilled by their new posts and unwilling to return to their old jobs? The very thought of it makes me a little giddy... or is it that it's Friday? Maybe both. (Hat tip to Lawscape)

Quick money. The slump got you down? Well, perk up! David Sirota offers a promising financial plan for the ordinary person. As described on OpenLeft, "In the get-rich-quick infomercial that has become our economy, it seems the best, highest-yield investment of all isn't in any stock or business plan, it's in politicians and political operatives. Buy a share of Permanent Washington, and you are almost guaranteed to make astronomical profit margins - 22,000 percent or higher, in many cases." Read the column here.

Love don't cost a thing. But not all forms of love are recognized by the states. That's why it's such a big deal that on Tuesday Vermont became the fourth state to legalize gay marriage and the first to do it through the legislature's vote. Yay Vermont! Hat tip to my friend Hsuper for covering the news as it broke, here.

Protecting students' pockets. The National Consumer Law Center has found that priuvate student loan lenders are hardly trying to help students struggling to pay off their debt and make ends meet. They conclude that this inflexibility is "a national disgrace." NCLC released this report on the private student loan market, offering five ways the government can provide student borrowers with "a safety net to give them some hope of escaping their debilitating debt and starting again."

Full post as published by TortDeform.com on April 09, 2009 (boomark / email).