Public Interest Law Fund to host annual auction benefiting students

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Public Interest Law Fund (PILF) at Penn State Law in University Park is holding its 18th annual PILF Auction from 6 to 8 p.m. on Thursday, February 22. The event will kick off at The Graduate Hotel in downtown State College and will include a silent and live auction. Proceeds from the event will be used to provide funding for students to work in unpaid summer fellowships in the public interest law field.

Last year’s auction raised over $10,000 for Penn State Law students.

Tickets can be purchased online for $25. The sale will continue through the week of February 12, or until tickets run out.

At the auction, community members will have the opportunity to bid on a variety of silent and live auction items, with all proceeds going to supporting this year’s class of fellows. Items in the live auction include the highly anticipated “professor experiences,” in which professors from the law school curate unique and exciting activities on which they can bid. This year, experiences include cooking lessons, a day of fly fishing, and a whiskey tasting. The silent auction will feature an exciting array of treats and services from local vendors, including a photography session, museum passes, and a signed Cam Heyward lithograph.

“None of this would be possible without the generous support of our dedicated professors and local business owners,” said Ava McCartin, a 2024 juris doctor (J.D.) candidate at Penn State Law and a co-chair of this year’s PILF Auction. “On behalf of the whole auction committee, we are extremely grateful for the continued support of the State College and Penn State Law community.”

PILF is a student-run organization that works year-round to support students pursuing public interest careers. Public interest careers are those that impact the public at large’s well-being, rights, health, or finances—and while these careers are often some of the most impactful in a community, summer positions are frequently unpaid. PILF seeks to provide competitive summer stipends to deserving students who accept these unpaid summer positions. In the past, PILF fellows have worked at state and federal prosecutors’ offices, public defenders’ offices, government agencies, nonprofit organizations, and civil government offices. To date, PILF has funded dozens of students engaged in public interest work. This year’s fellowship application for Penn State Law students will open in March.