April 14, 2008
St. John’s University School of Law’s 12th Annual Public
Interest Auction held on March 6, 2008 was a huge success raising
over $61,000 for the Public Interest Committee. “Alumni,
faculty, student and community support are key to the success of
the auction and this year’s participation was the best we have ever
seen,” noted Amanda Beltz, Public Interest Committee Chair.
All donations and proceeds from the auction will go to public
interest internships and projects. The Public Interest
Committee, through its various fundraising efforts, supports a
number of worthy causes. The auction proceeds largely fund
the Public Interest Summer Fellowship, which gives a stipend to
students who accept public interest internships providing legal
counsel for the poor and those of limited means, in areas such as
immigration, domestic violence, child advocacy, family court
mediation, and community service. The funds may also support
other public interest initiatives such as the St. John’s chapter of
the Student Hurricane Network which organizes trips to New Orleans
to offer legal assistance to victims of Hurricane Katrina.
The St. John’s Law School community has been widely involved in
public interest initiatives, and the student interest in the field
has been growing. Thanks to our Law School Alumni for your
support of St. John’s School of Law Public Interest Committee.