It's hard enough finding a local lawyer who is ethical, but this is unpardonable:

[The Backlash Cometh]

Legal aid programs spend money on perks

Legal aid programs serving poor people spent federal money on booze, interest-free loans for staff, late charges on overdue bills and even lobby registration fees.

The parent organization that distributes grants to programs in all 50 states, Legal Services Corp., failed to monitor how the money was spent, according to congressional investigators in a new report. It did not specify how much money was misspent but questioned use of more than $1 million in payments.

The new report, obtained by The Associated Press, was based on examination of spending at 14 of 138 legal aid programs financed by the Washington-based Legal Services Corp.

Managers and directors "have taken the audit very seriously and have cooperated fully throughout the process," Legal Services spokesman John Constance said. "Proper stewardship of taxpayers' dollars is a very important responsibility both at LSC headquarters and for each of our grantees." Constance said the group would refer allegations of misspending to its inspector general.





http://www.rawstory.com/news/mochila/Legal_aid_programs_spend_money_on_p_01172008.html

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1. You must be a closet Republican

After all, you agree with Mike Enzi on this one point, therefore you agree with Mike Enzi on everything he ever said. At least according to today's DU wisdom.

"It is not acceptable to Congress or the taxpayers for scarce funds to be spent on the enrichment of others instead of on legal services," said Sen. Mike Enzi, R-Wyo., senior Republican of the Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions.


(Sorry for picking on you, it just struck me as ironic)

[The Backlash Cometh]

3. What a silly thing to say.

There are serious problems with the legal industry (It no longer is a profession, judging by my experience.) And if today's DU wisdom is as you say, thank God I'm avoiding all the Obama and Clinton threads.

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5. Yep, about as silly as the Obama loves Reagan threads n/t

[The Backlash Cometh]

7. Gotcha.

[HeraldSquare212]

2. Legal Services has been under such scrutiny and budget pressure for so long,

I doubt there's too much to this.

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4. Perceptions.

Some of us are ready to break because of what the crap lawyers have done to us. You know, if you don't have a way to find recourse to heal when someone damages you, things fester. Sometimes the only thing left, we powerless people have, is to get lucky enough to be around to witness the misfortune or downfall of those who have failed to help us, or who made our situation worse.

And that is why our world is going to become increasingly mean and spiteful. Victims never forget, and the more victims that are created, the more anger there will be on the streets.

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6. I think we need to expand legal aid

I think if we had the same access to lawyers as the wealthy, then they wouldn't be able to get away with a lot of that damage. I'd love to be able to just hand off every problem to a lawyer or accountant. Would make my life a lot less stressful.

[The Backlash Cometh]

8. Some civil conspiracies make it impossible for a pro bono situation.

Some civil conspiracies are so large, that it requires a law enforcement agency to get involved. But as long as they're control by political machinations, that is dysfunctional too.

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9. Ohmigosh, a million dollars!

Holy guacamole, we're talking some real dough here, not like the shrink-wrapped billions in cash sent into the middle of a war zone in Iraq, which was really nobody's fault, and who would have guessed that that money would just, you know, vanish?

[The Backlash Cometh]

10. Good point.

However, bad lawyers are already on the mainland. We might as well deal with them first.

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11. Considering what legal aid lawyers go through

I'm not going to get all green-visored on their asses. These are attorneys who work the low-end jobs that require a lot of hours for very little payoff except in professional satisfaction. If there is some legitimate malfeasance, it will be found and the folks responsible will be punished. There are definitely problem lawyers out there, but they aren't concentrated in legal aid offices. I've seen that job up close, and the people who work in those offices will go directly to heaven.

[The Backlash Cometh]

12. Then here is a novel idea. Increase their pay.

I don't disagree with you, but there HAS to be a place where lawyers get a 100% pat on the back. Where ethics comes second to nothing. Where everyone can point to the place and say, hey, this is what all lawyers should aspire to be.