University at Buffalo's Buffalo Public Interest Law Program to Hold Annual Auction

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- The Buffalo Public Interest Law Program (BPILP) will host its 13th-annual auction at 6 p.m. on Feb. 15 in the Pearl Street Grill & Brewery, 76 Pearl Street. Tickets are available for $35 at the door and include drinks and hors d'oeuvres.

Organized by University at Buffalo Law School students, the event is the primary fundraiser for fellowships that allow UB law students to accept unpaid summer positions in public-interest law.

"Public interest" encompasses many areas of the law, including domestic violence, child advocacy, human rights, poverty law, elder law and environmental law. While many organizations are in need of legal assistance offered by law students, many cannot afford to pay for students for their services.

BPILP is a not-for-profit organization at the UB Law School.

Up for auction is a box at Madison Square Garden for a New York Knicks game and tickets for the New York Mets. Items for silent and live auction, as well as raffle items, will include fine art; theater, concert and sporting-event tickets; restaurant and salon gift certificates; themed gift baskets; jewelry and many other objects. The event typically draws UB law alumni and friends from throughout Buffalo's legal community.

Fellowship recipients have interned at the Kenya Human Rights Commission, the Erie County District Attorney's Office, New York State Office of the Attorney General, the Innocence Project, Capital Post Conviction Unit and many others.

For more information about the auction contact Britten Cosgrove or Robert Steinwachs, Buffalo Public Interest Law Program fundraising co-vice presidents, at (716) 645-6726 or ublaw_bpilp@yahoo.com.