UB Law School Holds Annual Auction To Fund Student Work In Public Service Law

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- The Buffalo Public Interest Law Program (BPILP), a nonprofit organization run by students in the Law School, will hold its annual auction to support student participation in summer public-service-law internships on Feb. 25.

The fifth annual BPILP auction will be held from 7-11 p.m. in the Adam's Mark Hotel in downtown Buffalo. Admission will be $30 -- $15 for law students -- and will include refreshments and open bar.

Items to be auctioned will include weekend trips, restaurant gift certificates, theater gift certificates, sporting-events tickets, works of art, household goods, wine-tasting parties and salon visits, all donated by local businesses and individuals.

The proceeds from the auction will allow students opportunities to explore, and hopefully pursue, careers in the area of public-service law that otherwise would be impossible, given the inability of such organizations to compensate students for their work.

Organizers hope to break last year's attendance record of 300 people, who together helped the BPILP raise more than $13,000 in donations. Last year's proceeds enabled 15 UB law students to participate in internships at such place as the Volunteer Lawyers Project and Neighborhood Legal Services in Buffalo, the New York Legal Assistance Group, the Nassau County District Attorney's Office and at African organizations. The students worked in such areas as child advocacy, domestic violence, labor relations, environmental conservation and protection, and public benefits.

For more information on the event, call Jana Kosberg at 636-8683. For ticket information, call Suzanne Hill at 645-2056.