Law firms may provide clerks for courts: Proposal raises ethical issues

The Boston Globe reports:

The Massachusetts judiciary has withdrawn offers for dozens of highly coveted law clerk jobs as a result of expected budget cuts. Instead, the court system is considering filling the vacancies, at no cost to the state, with newly hired private lawyers whose firms have pushed back their start dates because of the bad economy.

Some legal specialists say the unusual proposal raises ethical questions, including whether firms that donate their fledgling associates might expect preferential treatment from the court system. But the plan has already cleared one hurdle, receiving approval with conditions from an ethics panel that advises the state’s highest court. The plan will now be reviewed by the State Ethics Commission.