March 15, 2011

Public Interest Law Project

This year the PILP Auction raised a whopping 82,000 dollars to fund summer stipends! PILP’s mission is to contribute to the public interest by financially supporting students and graduates who choose fulfilling careers working for the public good. Throughout the academic year the board and many hard-working volunteers hold fundraising events, culminating in the annual Auction!

The Public Interest Law Project was organized by law students in 1990 as a chapter of the National Association of Public Interest Law (NAPIL) - now known as Equal Justice Works. PILP is dedicated to encouraging law students to pursue public interest careers. PILP’s primary goals are two-fold:

  1. providing summer stipends for students working in public interest law; and
  2. establishing a loan repayment program for graduates choosing to pursue careers in the public interest profession.

An annual auction and other fund-raising efforts have allowed PILP to award ten to fifteen stipends per summer. Summer stipend recipients have worked for a variety of organizations, dealing with issues such as children’s rights, environmental protection, domestic violence, and civil rights. The maximum amount of the summer stipend was recently increased to $5,000.